


Sugar, Spies, And Nothing Nice

by pretty_rekless



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, Angst, Daddy Kink, M/M, Smut, Sorry Not Sorry, Sugar Daddy, With A Twist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-02-28 14:10:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 40,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13273095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pretty_rekless/pseuds/pretty_rekless
Summary: Nitori Aiichiro stumbles upon an interesting app called "Suga Baby" while experiencing a minor financial crisis. Satiating his curiosity, he creates a profile and begins his search for a sugar daddy.(completed)





	1. Curiosity Killed the Cat

 

Aiichiro Nitori never realized just how privileged he was until one phone call ripped him from that fantasy. Of course, he had never expected his parents to cover his schooling _AND_ apartment fees in the first place. However, after living that way for a few years and becoming accustomed to it, the sudden cut off proved to be quite a dilemma.

Luckily, he was smart. He had been saving since the day he received his first part-time job, so he could last a few months without _completely_ freaking out. Nevertheless, he needed to find a solution to his problem now rather than later.

His current occupation was a tea barista at _Sweet Sweet Sakura Tea_ , and he’d been working there since he started at the university. It was family owned by a single woman and her two kids, and only a ten-minute walk from school. It paid well, and Matsuoka-san always worked with Aiichiro’s schedule. With just that job alone, his half of the rent would be covered, but that didn’t include, food, his phone bill, school supplies, and basically anything he might need outside of shelter.

 So, there he was, scrolling through Google trying to discover a side job that wouldn’t interfere with studying. Silver brows crunched in curiosity upon the title, “ _How Millennials Can Earn Extra Cash”._ Clicking on it, twenty different ways to make money on the side popped up in a well thought out list. Some of the items hardly surprised him such as, walking dogs, taking surveys, clinical trials, and translating, but all of those options required a lot of _time_. The last item on the list, though, that made him bite back a fit of giggles.

In clear, bold lettering read, “Get yourself a sugar daddy!” and underneath was a gif of an exuberant woman snapping her fingers in what Aiichiro remembered as a “z formation”. Obviously, the author of the article would end on a gag. With a heavy sigh, he moved his mouse over to the small ‘x’ in the corner of the screen, ready to say goodbye to the list of absolutely no help, but miniscule lettering caught his attention.

Beneath the amusing gif was a link. He briefly considered that the link would download a virus onto his laptop, but his curiosity got the better of him. With one swift click, the page opened to yet another article titled, “Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures”.

Skimming the contents of the page, cerulean eyes widened in disbelief. Evidently, acquiring a sugar daddy was actually plausible.

Apparently, there was an app named, “Suga Baby”, not very original, but it got the point across. It was designed much like Tinder, except it matched up people specifically for a “I’ll pay you for your services” kinda job. All matches had the opportunity to message one another, and if a relationship was established, a simple contract would be formed. The article explained that you could only obtain one sugar daddy/baby at a time. Still feeling skeptical, Aiichiro loaded his app store on his phone and fluttered his fingers across the screen.

Sure enough, _Suga Baby_ popped up, and he clicked download before coherent thoughts could change his mind.

_How does payment work?_  he asked himself, eyes flitting back to the screen and darting across the page to find the answer. Payment occurred through the app and the sugar baby obtained money by simple clicking the ‘cash out’ button. The payment could be sent to a PayPal account or directly into his bank account.

Aiichiro hummed to himself, actually considering the possibility of having this sort of relationship with someone. The entire thing seemed extremely intriguing, and if the exchange took place entirely online, then what was the harm? He knew enough about what having a sugar daddy meant, but there wouldn’t be any sexual favors exchanged, at least not _physically_.

Glancing back at his phone, he opened the app, and filled out an email, username, and password so he could investigate further. Settling with _duckling_14_ , he began his research.

Well, with a complete profile filled out including his height (168cm), weight (57kg), age (21), and his sign (Capricorn), he attached a photo and flipped through possible prospects. The picture he chose showed him bare-chested from the neck down, lounging on his knees with legs spread in a promiscuous way. The only clothing on his small frame were tiny boxer briefs, showing of as much porcelain skin as possible. To say he had never taken lewd photographs of himself would be a blatant lie. To say he never posted them on the internet for the public eye would also be another lie. Although, he was never stupid enough to expose his full face, just in case someone he knew happened upon the pictures.

Only thing left to do was to wait.

-x-

The lieu of messages that dinged his phone the following twenty-four hours brought his optimism to a screeching halt. The people he matched with were cringe-worthy even though he was pretty picky about who he swiped right for. With an annoyed exhale, he decided to give it a few days before uninstalling the app and searching for something else. He’d might even have to settle with picking up extra shifts at work even though that was last thing he wanted to do.

Aiichiro opted for a nice cup of coffee as a pick me up to accompany his continuation of finding a man to pay him online. Wow, when he really thought about it, it sounded incredibly sketchy. Good thing he didn’t plan on telling anyone about his current financial predicament, including his roommate.

Venturing to the kitchen of his shared apartment, he was bombarded with the smell of popcorn and chocolate. Unsurprisingly, he discovered Momo on the couch, surrounded by goodies, aggressively playing the newest released video game.

“When's the last time you ate a well-balanced meal?” Aiichiro inquisitively quipped.

“Aw, is Ai-chan worried about me?” Momo countered back.

“Not you too,” he inwardly groaned at the nickname Hazuki-kun had so _kindly_ given him.

Momo proudly bared a toothy grin with eyes still locked on the screen.

Ignoring him, Aiichiro poured himself a cup of a coffee with enough cream to turn it just a few shades darker than his skin.

As he determinedly headed back towards his room, Momo interrupted him.

“Why have you been hiding in your room since your birthday?”

January 4th, the day of his 21st birthday _and_ the day his parents told him they were struggling financially. Just a mere 48 hours ago.

“Oh, uh,” Aiichiro nervously started, trying to think of something quick. _Oh, right._ “I've been studying. Huuuge exam this week. Yep.”

Momo's face momentarily scrunched in skepticism, but luckily for Ai’s sake, he got completely sidetracked with the game. While button mashing, he yelled, “Not again! This guy has killed me so many freaking times!”

With that, Aiichiro snuck off to his room and _hid_ for just a little while longer.

Resting against his headboard with the mug in hand, he thumbed once more through endless profiles. Just when he thought no one seemed suitable, he stumbled on an intriguing profile with an unfamiliar band logo as the thumbnail.

The lack of information should’ve given him the heebie-jeebies, but instead, it was rather refreshing compared to the crude remarks he had seen lately. The only description _whale_shark22_ offered was:

_Looking for an online relationship ONLY. The person will be required to send me pictures whenever I ask for them, without receiving any in return. I also require that you communicate with me every day, and only through this app. **Serious inquiries only.**_ _Looking since November 2017._

Another red flag sprouted in Aiichiro’s head as he read that last sentence, but he thought the requests seemed reasonable, so he swiped right. The moment he did, another window popped up informing him that _whale_shark22_ already matched up with him.

Aiichiro waited for half an hour, anticipating a crude message to chime in, but nothing came. He must’ve closed and re-opened the app fifteen times just to make sure he wasn’t having technical difficulties.

Chewing on his nails, he opened _Suga Baby_ once more and clicked on his most recent match. He pressed ‘message’ and typed something simple.

 

_duckling_14:_ I’m interested.

 

It didn’t long for Aiichiro to receive a response, and he assumed the guy already had his questions at the ready.

 

_whale_shark22:_ I will need you to answer a few questions for me first.

  1. Why are you looking for a sugar daddy?
  2. What do you do for a living?
  3. How much money are you expecting to get out of this?
  4. What all are you willing to do? Pictures? Videos?



 

Aiichiro stared blankly at the screen, weighing all the questions in his mind. For someone so secretive, the stranger really wanted his match to be open and honest. If that’s what he wants, then that’s what he was going to get.

_duckling_14:_

  1.  I found this option by mistake, but the more I read about it, the more it seemed like a promising prospect. My funds were recently cut and if I don’t figure out something quickly, then I’m going to have a problem.
  2. I’m a part-time tea barista and full-time college student.
  3. I can’t exactly give you a number, but I _can_ agree to testing this out for a few weeks and further discussing it with you after.
  4. I’ve never been in this situation before, so I don’t really know what all I will be comfortable with. If you’re okay with it, I would like to discover my dos and don’ts with you.



 

A rush of air flew from his chest as he tapped sent. Exhilaration swarmed his stomach thinking that he might really get a sugar daddy. The whole thing was absolutely absurd, yet he was practically giddy with excitement… and maybe just a tad nervous.

Okay, incredibly nervous, especially when the next message came through.

 

_whale_shark22:_ A trial period, alright. Then go ahead and send me a topless pic, face included.

 

Aiichiro gulped. A contract hadn’t even been put into place, and the stranger was already making demands. He’d already come this far, what harm was there sending what _whale_shark22_  asked for? It was a trivial request, and the only thing he worried about was whether or not he might know this person in real life. He didn’t even ask any questions in return to clarify it _wasn’t_ someone he knew. But how exactly would he do that, and is it too late now to send his own list?

The wheels in his head went into overdrive until he finally slapped both of his cheeks, and mentally yelled at himself to get a grip. With cheeks still rosy, he discarded his shirt, and viewed himself with the front-facing camera. He angled it upwards on a diagonal, and peered through long, lashes at the camera. Releasing a calming exhale, he snapped the picture.

The nagging in his head begged him to critique every little detail in ‘the look at me I’m innocent face’ that occupied half the screen. He silenced the voices and sent the picture off to God knows who.

Aiichiro never bothered setting his phone down, his body running on pure anxiety and caffeine. It took under thirty seconds for a short sentence that oddly charmed him.

_whale_shark22:_ You’ll work.

Smirking to himself, he started to type back, but a window popped up blocking him.

_“Would you like to begin your contract with whale_shark22?”_

Without hesitating for even a second, he hit yes, and received yet another message.

_Whale_shark22 has deposited 2500 yen into your account._

Aiichiro allowed a broad grin to grace features, _this might actually work._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already have the entire plot figured out, so I'm so excited to get to work on this! Also, please let me know if you're enjoying the story 'cause I love it when people talk to me. Stay tuned for more, it's about to get hot in here.


	2. Frilly Boys And Their Toys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just another typical day in Nitori's life... or not.

Since obtaining an _interesting_ profession, Aiichiro felt a sudden pop of color had been added to his life. There was a pep in his step while walking to school as he thought of the conversation him and his _sugar daddy_ had the night before.

First and foremost, he declared that the relationship would be kept hidden from anyone in his personal life. He had no intention of anyone ever finding out what was happening behind closed doors. He also informed the stranger of his weekly schedule simply because he didn’t need to receive a message in the middle of his shift demanding provocative pictures. Unfortunately, divulging such information didn’t earn him any money, but _whale_shark22_ ensured more opportunities would arise.

However, it uncovered more information on what is expected of him. Pictures were a given, videos were encouraged, and apparently, _listening_ to his sugar daddy vent was a must. A soft spot formed for _whale_shark22_ as Aiichiro considered that the guy might’ve started this entire search because of his loneliness.  It settled the smallest sliver of suspicion within him. Actually, the more they talked, the more at ease he began to feel.

They also decided on a safe word (waves) just in case Aiichiro found himself in an uncomfortable position. He hoped it would never come to that, because he still struggled with standing his ground, but it was better safe than sorry.

While in lecture, he popped opened his laptop, and hid his phone behind it. He never bothered reading over what the contract entailed, and thought _maybe_ he should do that.

To his advantage, the agreement was confined in a simple paragraph. It easily explained that the ‘ _Baby’_ could end the relationship at any given time, but the ‘ _Daddy’_ would be required to give two-weeks notice. he thought that made sense considering that he was the one getting paid.

To his disadvantage, the agreement declared only a minimum of 12,000 yen had to be deposited into the _Baby’s_ account per week. Even though every little bit helped, Aiichiro prayed that he’d be earning more than that.

The rest of the contract explained that a safe word needed to be established, and if there was any unorthodox harassment, to contact the creators of the app _immediately_. In a worst-case scenario, a lawsuit could be pursued.

_A lawsuit?_ Concerned eyes scanned the room as if someone knew what he was reading. No one looked, and he slumped against the chair with a sigh of relief. He spent the rest of class telling himself that everything in the contract was to protect him, and that he had nothing to worry about.  
  
-x-

_Sweet Sweet Sakura Tea_ was possibly the most adorable tea cafe in the area. Decorated only in creams with accents of red and pink, the shop offered a peaceful place to unwind during daylight hours. A long maple wood bar occupied the left side of the cafe complete with a glass case at the end displaying goodies. Along the right wall were French-style chairs and round tables that only sat two people. The large skylight illuminated everything in a radiant glow enticing onlookers to come in and sit down for a cup of tea.

The traditional ceramic tea cups were white with hand-painted cherry blossoms circling the bottom and fading upwards. Naturally, they accompanied matching teapots. Everything was in the details, including the servers. Each barista wore a blush button-down tucked into khaki pants with a white apron around the waist. Embroidered cherry blossoms embellished the bottoms, trickling towards the top just like the teacups.

Aiichiro’s job was fairly simple: serve people with a gentle smile and maintain the serene ambiance. While bussing the table he just finished serving, a faint buzz vibrated his backside. He glanced around to make sure no one was looking, and slid his phone out.

_whale_shark22:_ Send me a pic of you in your uniform.

He tucked a loose silver lock behind his ear, feeling the excitement creep up his neck. Receiving attention from strangers had always been his guilty pleasure. It started with a simple porn blog on Tumblr and apparently, ended with a sugar daddy.

Another buzz snapped him from his thoughts.

_whale_shark22:_ Have someone else take it

Aiichiro’s eyes darted around the room and then back to his phone, eyebrows tightly knit.  He quickly typed a reply in hopes to change his mind.

_duckling_14:_ Can I take it myself?

An immediate response appeared.

_whale_shark22:_ No

With a concerned exhale, he searched for the closest available worker. A few baristas were promptly attending customers while one young woman was determinedly rearranging the treat display. He nervously approached her.

“G-gou-san?”

She continued switching things out here and there, “Yes, Nitori-kun?”

Aiichiro shifted his weight between feet while anxiously chewing his lip. “Would you take a picture of me?” He practically whispered.

A bright, intimidating face popped up from behind the counter. “Do you finally have an admirer, Nitori-kun?”

“I-” Aiichiro’s cheeks burned hotly, “Just would like a picture in my uniform.”  
  
Gou grinned widely before her features settled into tenacious look, swiftly moving out from behind the counter and dragging him to the side.

“First things first,” she claimed while placing him next to a delicate art piece, “Let’s undo the top buttons, you look too stiff.”

The fire that adorned his cheeks seared his chest as she undid the top two buttons. Azure glanced everywhere but the fingers fidgeting with his shirt. No one seemed to be paying them any mind. With a slide of both her hands across his shoulders, she stepped back and held out her hand for the phone. He surrendered it without meeting her fierce gaze.

Feeling exposed, he gently draped his arm in front of him, clasping the other dangling limb. Taking pictures of himself and having them taken of him were two _very_ different things.

“Look at me,” she demanded with her controlled, superior voice.

Slowly, Aiichiro met her gaze, apprehension still lurking in his features.

“Nitori-kun,” Gou started, her tone serious and composed. She sighed, offering an encouraging smile, “Relax.”

The bottom lip he hadn’t realized he’d been holding released from teeth, and he dropped his shoulders. With an innocent smirk, he looked directly at the back of his phone, letting Gou snap the picture.

“Got it,” she smiled and closed the gap between them, showing off the image to him.

“T-thanks,” he muttered appreciatively, still feeling the embarrassment from the situation.

“Not a problem. Next time you should smile,” Gou suggested.

Aiichiro smiled weakly, taking the phone from her and examining it himself. The lighting was soft, illuminating his tender features and prominent collarbone that barely poked out. If he had more confidence in himself, he’d dare say he looked pretty, but validating himself had never been his strong suit. He had forgotten Gou was still standing there until she interrupted his internal criticism.

“I’m glad you finally found an admirer, I was worried you’d fawn over onii-chan forever.” With that, she turned on her heel and proceeded to her previous task.

Stunned, Aiichiro stood rooted to his spot, watching her ponytail swish as she marched away. All people made him nervous in general, but good-looking ones made it all the worse. Especially males, for an obvious reason. Rin, much like Gou, had an intimidating presence, so when he earned praise from either, he’d beam for the rest of the day. When Rin would smile at him, his knees would go weak, defying him and buckling. In saying that, it was Rin’s body that was the object of his attention. A tall, muscular build that could break Aiichiro in two. He always thought that even if he found love, Rin would always cause his heart to pump rapidly and butterflies to swarm his belly. He guessed the way his gaze followed the older male had been noticed on probably several occasions. Unfortunately, nothing would ever come of it, Rin had his sight set on one artist with eyes like sapphires.

He snapped out of it, remembering why he just had Gou captured a picture of him. He pulled up _Suga Baby_ and sent the picture to _whale_shark22._

Not even thirty seconds had passed before he received an amusing comment.

_whale_shark22:_ You work at some frilly tea shop. _  
whale_shark22 has deposited 3000 yen into your account._

With a humorous smirk, he pocketed his phone, pretending not everyone noticed his major crush on his supervisor. _Speak of the devil…  
__  
_ “And I’m off!” Rin waved, crossing the cafe in his regular clothing, not giving Aiichiro an ounce of attention.  
  
“Hey, where are you going?” Gou stopped him, and the silver-haired barista pretended to be hard at work. “Mom said we had to stay til 6.”  
  
“No, _you_ and Ai have to work til then. I’m meeting Sou,” He responded, still walking towards the door.  
  
“Why doesn’t he ever come here?” She questioned curiously.  
  
Rin turned and faced his sister, right before the door. “Because we don’t have coffee, and he thinks the place is _frilly,_ ” he finished the sentence with air quotations.  
  
_What’s with everyone thinking this place is frilly?_ Aiichiro asked himself.  
  
“Men.” Gou said with a simple shake of her head, and an eye roll.  
  
-x-  
  
The rest of Aiichiro’s shift flew by since he spent the majority of his time thinking about the 5500 yen he earned within the last twenty-four hours from a certain fellow. He only hoped to up his ante in the future.  
  
“HEY!” Momo yelled the moment he opened the door to their apartment.  
  
Naturally, Aiichiro jolted, still not accustomed to Momo’s jump scares.  
  
“HA! Got you!” He yelled successfully, pumping his fists into the air.

Aiichiro laughed weakly, “You’ve got to stop doing that.”  
  
“You’ve got to stop being so easy to scare,” the orange-haired man mocked, beaming at his job well done.  
  
He shook his head at Momo, and as he readied himself to respond, a chime came through.  
  
“Ooo you’re popular, who is it?” Momo bounced, trying to snatch the phone from Aiichiro's pocket.  
  
“S-stop, Momo-kun, I haven’t even looked yet.” He tried to sound severe.  
  
The energetic man retracted his hands, shoving them in his pockets. “You’re funny when you try to be serious.” He pointed out, before walking away and leaving him be.  
  
Aiichiro seized the opportunity to rush to his room and fish out his phone.  
  
_whale_shark22:_ I’m in a foul mood. Distract me.  
  
_duckling_14:_ Want me to strip for you?  
  
_whale_shark22:_ I don’t care, just do something  
  
Aiichiro took his sugar daddy’s lack of enthusiasm as a sign not to strip. He searched his bedroom for inspiration, and a light bulb went off in his head as eyes landed on the bedside table. He hurried to the drawer and rummaged through the toys, retrieving a big purple dildo. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he opened his camera application and switched to video. While holding the phone out in front of him, he brought the tip to his mouth. He clicked record and pressed open mouth kisses on the fake dick, flicking his tongue out randomly. _Let’s see if that’s distracting_ , he thought, ending the short clip and sending it off.  
  
A one-word, almost dissatisfied response was all he received.  
  
_whale_shark22:_ More  
  
He recorded a video again, this time openly sucking the cock as if it were real. Up and down he moved, his tongue swirling along attempting to reach every inch. The tightening in his pants told him just how much he really began to enjoy it. He released the dildo with an audible pop, a string of saliva still connecting him, and he cut the video. _There, that oughta do it.  
__  
whale_shark22:_ More  
  
With an exasperated exhale, Aiichiro stood from his bed and locked the bedroom door. Casting music on his TV, he moved to the farthest corner of his room and unbuttoned his shirt completely. He was determined to perform this task right, ensuring a bigger _paycheck_ , and that meant showing a little more skin.  
  
Holding the phone out again, and tapping the red button, he locked eyes with the lens. He pushed the dildo deep in his mouth and hollowed his cheeks hard, sucking like he couldn’t get enough. Twisting it around in his mouth, he moaned generously, lapping up every bit of fake cock he could. A part of him forgot he was putting on a show, and just enjoyed himself, feeling the intense hardening beneath his waist. He allowed the recording to run a minute long, mewling and sucking naughtily, shutting down every accusation of his innocence in the process. After stopping it, he hit send, and unbuckled his pants, slipping a hand inside to relieve some of the pressure. A few minutes passed, and a little chime echoed from his phone.

_whale_shark22:_ Damn. I really did find myself a little slut.

Why that answer sparked pride within, he did not know, but he wanted nothing more than to continue that feeling. He responded with something he read once and hoped it had the same effect it did on a fictional character.  
  
_duckling_14:_ I aim to please.  
  
_whale_shark22 has deposited 7500 yen.  
__  
whale_shark22:_ Keep doing things like that and you’ll suck the money right out of me.  
  
_duckling_14:_ That’s the plan.  
  
Giddiness bubbled over at the wave of confidence his horniness brought him. He flopped onto his bed, the hand lazily working his hard member. Maybe this was exactly what he needed to break out of his shell…  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, our sugar baby will NOT be making $100+ bucks every time he sends one picture. Chill. XD There will be plenty of opportunities for him to earn more... PROMISE (: If you're enjoying it so far, lemme know. Comments and kudos fire me up. :D 
> 
> "I aim to please." I bet some of y'all know where that's from. :P


	3. A Gift That Keeps On Giving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Embarrassment galore! Ai is beginning to enjoy his new job, but because of his usual luck, Momo sees something he shouldn't have.

Strangled giggles erupted from Aiichiro’s sleepy body as hands attacked the space underneath his ribs. Risking the early morning blindness, his eyes flew open to reveal the culprit. An orange blur told him he was unfortunately being woken by Momo’s tickle torture.

“M-Momo,” he croaked, his body writhing beneath the sheet.

The ginger grinned broadly while eager fingers ran all over his frame. In Aiichiro’s desperate attempt to escape, the thin layer shifted, exposing his bare abdomen.

Momo halted for only a moment, his eyebrows raising mischievously. “Are you naked, Ai?” Gold eyes flashed to the sheet, his intentions being shown.

Aiichiro shot up in bed, grabbing ahold of the sheet the same time as his roommate. The two of them tugged on the cloth and Momo teased through the fight.

“I didn’t know you slept naked!” He yelled over Aiichiro’s frantic struggle.

“I’m n-not naked!” The silver-haired man spluttered trying to gain control, feeling the cloth slip from his delicate fingers.

“No? Then it won’t be a problem if I see!” Momo ripped with all his might, pulling the soft blue sheet from Aiichiro’s grasp. “HA!”

Aiichiro’s hands covered his crotch immediately, but not quick enough. His roommate’s eyes widened preparing himself to mock the man in front of him in nothing but woman’s underwear. The silent plea on Aiichiro’s face stopped Momo in his tracks, and the smile he bore fell into a silent ‘o’.

The sheet was tossed from Momo’s grip, floating over the horrified male. The silky pale blue panties with white lace trim that he thought no one other than _whale_shark22_ would see had _definitely_ been seen. Embarrassment didn’t even begin to cover what he was feeling. His body flushed from the tips of his ears down to his toes. Maybe if he pinched himself, he’d wake up from this nightmare.

“Now, that you’re up…” Momo’s voice penetrated his hopelessness. “Can you make me breakfast?”

Aiichiro’s scrunched face relaxed behind the barrier, and he slowly removed the sheet to answer his roommate. “T-that’s why you woke me up?” He asked sheepishly with cerulean orbs glued the floor.

“Hai. You always make breakfast on Saturday, but you never sleep this late.” Momo answered honestly, bouncing on his feet.

_What time is it?_ He questioned himself, breaking the staring contest with the carpet only to eye his alarm. The glowing numbers read _10:52._ He _never_ slept this late, but honestly, he also never went to sleep as late as he did last night… _this morning._

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and released a slow breath, feeling the redness turn to a faded pink. “Let me shower first, okay?” Aiichiro flashed his eyes to Momo, only to find him twiddling with his messy orange locks.

“Yeah, okay,” he agreed, not meeting Aiichiro’s gaze. He turned on his heels, and took soft steps until he reached the door. Without looking back, he grabbed the doorknob and spoke sympathetically, “I won’t tell anyone.”

Aiichiro’s cheeks burned right back to red, and he muttered out a small ‘thank you’. The moment the door closed, he buried himself into his pillow, releasing a small, dissatisfying scream. For a fleeting moment, he almost regretted accepting 17500 yen for last night’s endeavor.

Three weeks had passed since the beginning of his sugar daddy/baby relationship with _whale_shark22._ Every time he would get comfortable with their situation, the stranger would do something to shake things up. Such as last week, when the man insisted that Aiichiro walk his “perky little ass” down to the nearest post office and rent out a PO Box. The silver-haired man didn’t bother arguing, and was rewarded with a gift instantly.

Although after receiving said gift, he was positive it was more of a reminder than anything, but regardless, a small whale shark keychain now hung on his lanyard. He fiddled with it often, taking comfort in what it stood for, and the tiniest part of him wished he could send a duckling keychain in return. However, _whale_shark22_ continued to remain anonymous, and refused to give him even just a name.

Aiichiro understood the secrecy, but if they knew each other in real life, wouldn’t _whale_shark22_ say something? If they did somehow cross paths before, surely the stranger wouldn’t have signed the contract between them. _Stop overthinking,_ he shot out of bed, scolding himself internally, _there’s no way you actually know him._

After slipping on a robe and grabbing clean work clothes, he made his way to the bathroom and shut the door. He still felt sticky from this morning’s mess since tissues aren’t really the best way to clean up cum. A sheepish grin broke free from his lips as deft fingers slid the panties down.

When he was told to fetch another present from his PO Box yesterday afternoon, Aiichiro rushed straight home, box in hand. He might’ve shouted a brief hello to Momo in his frantic state, but it was a greeting nonetheless.  After arriving to his room, he slammed the door in excitement, and tore through the box. Well, tried to anyway, but his skittish fingers couldn’t rip open the tape, and he ended up using his keys to slice it open instead.

Naturally, he didn’t know what to expect, but silk undergarments for a woman was nowhere in his line of thought. He fumbled with them, feeling the soft material uncertainly and admiring the intricate lace trim. After flushing about ten different shades of red, he found the courage to message his gift giver.

His sugar daddy responded with a command, per usual, stating that he wanted his _good little boy_ to change into the _gift_ and send a picture later that night. Of course, Aiichiro did exactly what he was told, sparking his night of money making and sexting.

He smiled to himself as the robe dropped from thin shoulders, and turned on the shower, stepping beneath the warm spray. As he washed away the lewd evidence, his mind slipped back, replaying their conversations over the last three weeks. _Whale_shark22_ had been talking to him more, bringing down all his walls in the process. Aiichiro didn’t disclose any extra information about himself unless his _daddy_ asked him to. He found their circumstance easier that way, because even though this had been going on for a little while, he still felt unsure about their dynamic.

As expected, he learned a lot about _whale_shark22_ ’s emotional state. The guy frequently messaged him about being in a foul mood, and _finally_ told Aiichiro why. Apparently, his _sugar daddy_ was in love with his childhood best friend. Aiichiro asked him whether or not he had told his friend, and regretted his naïve question. _Whale_shark22_ shot him down rudely, clamming himself shut for another week.

The next time he opened up, Aiichiro just listened and responded with simple answers, afraid he’d run him off again. According to his sugar daddy, he was scared to pursue his friend for the usual reasons. Such as, not knowing if the best friend swings that way, and terrified of ruining their friendship with a confession. Honestly, Aiichiro knew how it felt to really like someone and not have the feelings reciprocated, and he wanted to somehow protect _whale_shark22._ Protect his heart, shelter his feelings, and soothe any worries. However, his sugar daddy made it perfectly clear he didn’t need Aiichiro’s sympathy, just his distraction.

So, that’s exactly what he did, he distracted him. Made him forget whoever this guy was by being a _dirty little slut_. There was no sense in denying that Aiichiro was really beginning to enjoy himself in the relationship. Earning more than enough money for simple favors had become his favorite pastime. He just wished that he could see what his mystery guy looked like.

Aiichiro shut the water off, and changed into his work clothes. After taking care of his other bathroom necessities, he made his way to the kitchen, prepping an American-style breakfast for him and his roommate. He quickly tuned out Momo’s shouts towards his video games, settling his mind with the task at hand, and soon, breakfast was ready.

He summoned his best friend away from the TV and to the table, _almost_ forgetting about what Momo had seen this morning.

“Mmmm,” Momo groaned approvingly, stuffing his mouth full of bacon. “Promise me you’ll never move out.”

“If you promise to chew your food before talking,” Aiichiro snarked, holding back a chuckle at the ridiculousness in front of him.

“Heeeey,” the ginger pouted. “You better be nice to me, I know something you don’t.”

Aiichiro tilted his head to his shoulder, knitting his brows close together. “What’s that?”

“Rin’s having a birthday party.” Aiichiro perked up, and then quickly took a bite of his scrambled eggs, trying not to seem _too_ interested. Momo noticed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” he said, smirking to himself all high and mighty.

“So, what about it?” Aiichiro quipped, hoping his roommate would get to the point.

“Well, Sei said that we’re invited,” the ginger’s grin spread ear to ear.

The silver-haired man bit back a smile. _Could this be true?_ Momo’s brother would have the inside scoop on this sort of thing. “He hasn’t said anything to me about it,” Aiichiro dismissed.

Momo shrugged. “He probably will today during your shift.”

“You think?”

“Yup, him and Sei just talked about us going a couple days ago.”

Aiichiro thought to himself for a moment before responding, his skepticism and insecurities weighing heavy on his mind.  “Are you sure?” He finally asked, looking straight at gold orbs so he couldn’t be fooled.

“Hai,” Momo reassured him. “Especially if you wear this morning’s outfit.” He winked and flashed him a toothy grin.

“ _Momo_ ,” Ai whined, getting up from the table to leave the conversation.

“I won’t tell anyone,” the roommate confirmed. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna bring it up,” he stated confidentially, thinking of the fun this would ensue.

“Fine.” Aiichiro clipped. “Then, _you_ can get the dishes.” He stood from the table, straightening his pants and button-down.

“Ai-chan, nooooo!” Momo pleaded through another mouthful of food. “I hate doing the dishes, you always do them.”

“Maybe next time don’t bring up something you saw that you weren’t supposed to see,” Aiichiro huffed, the shamefulness creeping up his neck. He didn’t bother giving Momo another glance because he was too afraid he’d catch his puppy eyes and cave.

“Ugh,” Momo grunted before continuing with his breakfast. Aiichiro always made him more than necessary, because the guy was essentially a bottomless pit.

He took the silence as the perfect opportunity to gather his things for work, and head on out. When he reached the door, he offered a small goodbye.

“You’re gonna have to tell me what you’re up to eventually,” his roommate pointed out as he stood and gathered their plates.

Silver brows furrowed in response. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve been locking yourself up in your room more than usual, and you’re always in a rush,” Momo explained with his back to him, moving to the kitchen sink and handwashing the dishes.

“You’re perceptive,” Aiichiro commented, anxiousness pricking his skin.

“I’m not _that_ oblivious,” Momo fired back with a mild chuckle.

Maybe he should’ve given his roommate more credit, but he didn’t think the guy would notice. Aiichiro was always in a bit of rush even before his relationship with _whale_shark22_ , but now that he thought about it, he was in his room more often than not.

Sure, he enjoyed his alone time before, but now he split that alone time in half, giving his sugar daddy his undivided attention. Which honestly was worth it since his _job_ turned out to be _stimulating._

After offering a simple goodbye to his roommate, he journeyed to work with his mind solely on an invitation to Rin’s get together. He desperately hoped Sei’s words proved to be true.

-x-

All through work, Aiichiro kept stealing glances at Rin, praying to every god in the sky that he would receive an invitation to his senpai’s birthday outing. After his shift ended, he stalled clocking out and even ordered a tea to-go all while his hope diminished with every passing minute. Maybe he should bring up Rin’s birthday and act casual… He grimaced. Acting casual was not his forte. Releasing a heavy breath, he dragged his feet to the door, fidgeting with the whale shark keychain.

“Ai, wait up!”

Aiichiro stopped abruptly, turning eagerly to face Rin who jogged towards him. His heart rate accelerated as he tried concentrating on something other than Rin’s arms bulging through the pink sleeves.

“Yes, senpai?” He asked promptly, willing his voice to stop from quivering.

“Everyone’s going to dinner next weekend for my birthday, and then maybe hitting up a new club. Want to-”

“H-hai!” Aiichiro cut him off with overwhelming excitement.

Rin chuckled and ruffled his kohai’s hair. “Cool, I'll text you the details.” His body shifted, ready to walk back the direction in which he came, but his eye caught something.

“Oi, what’s that?” Rin pointed to the small figurine between Aiichiro’s thumb and finger.

Azure eyes darted to the keychain, “Oh, uh…” he trailed off, showing it to Rin rather than explaining.

“Why a whale shark?” His senpai questioned with a fiery gaze.

“W-well, it-” Aiichiro started, stumbling over his words. How could he explain this? _Oh, right._ “Just a gift from a friend,” he rambled, awfully too quickly.

A single red brow arched curiously at him, making nervous eyes flash everywhere but Rin.  

“W-why?” Aiichiro asked, fixating his sight on the hardwood floor. It was this morning all over again.

“Be more specific, Ai.” Rin poked a finger in the younger’s chest and continued, “It reminds me of a good friend. His spirit animal is a whale shark.”

“Oh.” Aiichiro relaxed. “T-that’s cool, yours is a great white, right?” He changed the subject excitedly, deterring from the story behind his keychain. It had been a little while since he chitchatted with Rin.

“Right,” the redhead concluded. “Hey, Ai, how do you think a great white would pair with a dolphin?”

The silver-haired man inched his head forward, raising his brows in concern, “Don’t great whites _eat_ dolphins?”

“Well, yeah, I guess,” Rin spat defensively, his features scrunching up in frustration.

Aiichiro stood their awkwardly not sure why his senpai had the sudden mood swing; he only had answered the question.

“What about an orca whale and a dolphin?” Rin pressed, his lips going thin.

“Orcas are in the dolphin family, so I…” Aiichiro trailed off watching Rin angrily shrug on his jacket.

“I’ve got to go!” He declared irritably, more to himself than to Ai. He hastily shouted at Gou to finish the cleanup and that he’ll make it up to her. He brushed past his kohai mumbling a disgruntled apology and he was out the door.

Aiichiro stood there utterly confused for a moment, trying to figure out what he said wrong. He sighed and walked back toward the computer to clock back in, hoping to rectify the situation by picking up Rin’s cleaning duties. Hopefully, he didn’t lose the invitation that he had just received.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed that bit with Rin, l know I did. XD
> 
> Next chapter is the birthday party. You know what that means! 
> 
> No, you don't? 
> 
> Muahaha just wait. :P


	4. In Desperate Need of Alcohol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin's birthday part one!

After yanking at the white V-neck and skinny jeans for a solid fifteen minutes, Aiichiro sighed and let go of the clothes irritably. He thought settling on something easy like dark blue denim and a tee would make him comfortable. Wrong. He stood in the mirror for what seemed like an eternity contemplating every wardrobe choice he ever made. Boring could easily describe the outfit, but he didn’t have time to be fussing over it.

As he sifted through his closet in search for a zip up hoodie, a compliment from _whale_shark22_ crossed his mind- _Blue is your color._ Okay, so, it wasn’t a compliment per say, but it was the most he had ever gotten from the stranger… that wasn’t about his ass. Needless to say, he settled on a periwinkle jacket.

Aiichiro shrugged it on, once again glancing at himself in the mirror. If it wasn’t Rin’s birthday, he wouldn’t be obsessing so much, but it _was_ Rin’s birthday, and _dammit_ , why couldn’t he get his bangs to lay right? As he raked fingers through uncooperative silver locks, something shined on the dresser. He momentarily stopped his fret, and walked over with curious eyes locked on the new gift.

A black chain choker laid gently across the wood, begging for him to wear it again. Of course, the gift came with instructions. _Whale_shark22_ wasn’t a man to give and not receive, Aiichiro learned that much in their month-long relationship. The demand was simple enough- send pictures in various positions while wearing it _and_ the infamous underwear.

He picked up the cool, metal chain, weighing it in his hand and mind. Bringing the choker to his neck, he considered his reflection. Why did a choker have such an effect on _whale_shark22_? Sure, _maybe_ the necklace made him appear… _oh._ Suddenly, things clicked together; he looked _naughty._

The realization sparked something in him, and before he could back out, he clasped it around his neck. While he admired the quartz crystal that hung from the chain, he noted just how nicely each shade of blue came together from his converse to his eyes. He smiled weakly at his reflection, feeling just a smidge better than before.

“Ai-chan! Stop staring at yourself and get out here!” Momo called through the door.

He grabbed his phone and lanyard in one swift motion and exited his room. Momo immediately grabbed his hand and started skipping to the door, dragging Aiichiro with him.

“Nii-chan will get mad if we make him wait too long,” the ginger explained while pushing him through the front door. “Woah, Ai!”

Aiichiro jerked his head back over his shoulder, “What?”

Momo lifted the hem of Nitori’s hoodie, and gave a swift smack to his backside. “Who knew your ass looked like _that_?” He eyed approvingly.

“S-stop,” Aiichiro spluttered, snatching the jacket back from his perv-y friend’s hand.

“Trying to impress Rin?” Momo smiled deviously, already knowing the answer.

His cheeks burned furiously. “N-no.”

Gold depths flicked to his neck and narrowed. “Are you wearing a choker?”

Aiichiro quickly covered his neck, feeling the gaze of his best friend stare him down. “Didn’t you say your brother was gonna be mad if he’s kept waiting?”

Momo shook his head and locked up the front door. “You better tell me what’s going on with you soon or I’m gonna start snooping.”

Azure widened in disbelief, his mouth agape. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oooo,” Momo cooed, skipping past him. “You’re hiding something.”

“Momo-kun,” Aiichiro whined, following him to Sei’s car.

-x-

The car ride was in a full swing... until Aiichiro dropped the bomb that Gou would not be joining them. A storm cloud loomed over the entire car on their way to the restaurant with both brothers sulking in the front seat. He tried apologizing profusely for being the bearer of bad news, but he thought Rin had told them. Now that he really thought about it, their behavior was probably _why_ Rin didn’t tell them.

From what Aiichiro understood, Gou wasn’t invited to her brother’s birthday party because Rin didn’t want to watch over her all night. She, of course, insisted that would be ridiculous for him to do which caused an argument for days. Gou finally caved, but only because Rin agreed to do _whatever she wanted_ for her birthday. Aiichiro was scared for Rin because of what she might pull, and hoped he was still around to witness it.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Rin stood outside in fitted jeans and tight black button-down with subtle pops of red. Aiichiro couldn’t help but notice just how good he looked with his hair accenting his outfit perfectly. Next to him stood a man he didn’t know. Silver brows furrowed in interest as Sei approached, greeting both men. First, he slapped Rin a little too hard on the back, probably for not including Gou, and then hugged the man next to him with a genuine ‘It’s been awhile’.  

The stranger was _big._ Tall, broad shoulders, every muscle defined through his black tee, leather jacket, and jeans. Something about him intimidated Aiichiro. Obviously, physically, but his presence seemed overbearing, yet sullen. Aiichiro considered the stranger for a moment, searching for something behind those intense teal eyes. A storm brewed there, almost like the one in the car, but harsher, wilder.  The stranger seemed conflicted in- what? Life? Aiichiro didn’t know, but he had the strangest urge to discover the tornado behind those teal eyes.

“Happy Birthday, Matsuoka-senpai,” Aiichiro squeaked after the other two finished their hellos.  

The stranger shot Rin an amusing smirk at the honorific.

“Thanks, Ai,” the birthday boy ruffled his locks. “And I _told_ you. Call me Rin.”

“H-hai,” he answered, smoothing down his hair.

“This is Sou, by the way,” Rin gestured to the stranger next to him.

 Sou briefly looked Aiichiro over, sending ice down his spine. “Yamazaki Sousuke,” he corrected.

“Oh, nice to meet you, Sousuke-kun,” Aiichiro dipped stiffly, feeling taken aback from the sudden cold front. “Nitori Aiichiro.”

“Now that the introductions are over with, can we eat?” Momo groaned, earning laughs from both Sei and Rin.

Rin hooked his arm tightly around Momo’s neck and led them to the door. “Yeah, we can eat.”

“Senpai.” Momo choked, “Too tight.”

Rin loosened his grip as they approached the entrance. Pictures of different meat entrees lined the windows next to a solid oak door. Sei crushed them both from behind with a bear hug and chuckled, “Of course you picked a place with meat.”

As the three of them tried to stuff themselves through the doorway, Aiichiro and Sousuke stood back watching the scene unfold. After Momo _accidentally_ kicked Rin in the shin, Sei tugged his brother’s collar, allowing Rin to go first.

“Manners, Momo,” Sei reminded.

Sousuke grabbed ahold of the door for the brothers to follow in suit, and nodded for Aiichiro to enter before him. The silver-headed man silently cursed at himself for letting Momo’s words feed into the self-consciousness of his backside, and cautiously ambled forward.

The stranger cleared his throat and Aiichiro swore he heard him mumble something. “W-what?” He asked nervously, turning around swiftly and colliding with a solid wall of muscle.

Strong hands gripped his shoulders and pushed him back a little. “S-sorry!” Aiichiro spluttered, regaining his balance.

“S’fine,” Sou dismissed coolly.

Aiichiro peered up at the man behind long lashes. “I thought you said something.”

Sousuke blinked a few times before averting his gaze and shrugged. “Just said, ‘cool necklace’.”

Aiichiro had to bite back a beaming grin as the icy feeling from before dissipated. The simple remark had his cheeks burning furiously, setting his skin ablaze. “T-thanks,” he stuttered.

He tucked a stray hair behind his ear, trying to find something to do with his hands, and searched the dining room for his friends. After spotting them, he led the way, even more aware of each step he took.

The rest of the gang were already there, all sitting on one side of the table. Rin sat at the head, with Haruka-senpai to his right. Haru handles all the ads for _Sweet Sweet Sakura Tea_ , and helped Matsuoka-san with the interior remodel. To Haru’s right, sat his good friend Makoto and then Nagisa with his boyfriend Rei. Nagisa also worked at the teashop with Aiichiro, and consistently invited his friends every shift he worked, so Aiichiro was used to seeing them.

“Ai-chan!” The blond bounced in his seat when he spotted Nitori.

“ _Konbanwa_ ,” Aiichiro greeted the table, unfortunately taking the open seat across from Nagisa.

Momo was already in a full-blown discussion with Rei about stag beetles to his left, and to his right, Sei and Makoto were talking about swimming. His line of sight lingered past them, specifically avoiding the cheerful man across from him. Haru’s expressionless gaze narrowed as Sousuke sat down across from him.

“Yamazaki,” he clipped.

“Nanase,” Sousuke returned the cold salutation.

Aiichiro sensed the tension between the two and immediately looked to Rin to see how he would handle it. His senpai shook his burgundy locks, chuckling at the stubborn men. He ignored them both and leaned over to Haru.

“They have Saba, I already called and asked.”

Envy pricked Aiichiro’s skin as he watched Haru shift towards Rin with his sapphire-like eyes gleaming appreciatively. A disgruntled mumble sounded from Sousuke, interrupting the two who seemed to be having a moment.

Sei jerked his head to the noise, noting the stiffness in the air and drug Sousuke into his conversation with Makoto. After a few moments, everything settled down as everyone found their groove.

Once they ordered their food, Aiichiro relaxed against his chair, focusing more on the lively chatter of the table rather than participating in it. Comfortability washed over him watching them harmonize, minus the stoic raven-haired men. Even with Haru and Sou’s tautness, Aiichiro felt like he finally belonged somewhere.

A faint vibration hit his thigh, and he slid his phone out secretly. His parents always told him that being on your phone at the dinner table was unacceptable, but his curiosity won over his politeness.

 _whale_shark22:_ Send me a pic

Azure scanned the table, and after ensuring no one paid him any mind, he shot back a response.

 _duckling_14:_ You know I can’t, I’m at a birthday dinner

He told his sugar daddy that Rin’s birthday was the one day he couldn’t communicate, so why did the man push? Still, he kept his phone out.

 _whale_shark22:_ Excuse yourself and go to the bathroom

Aiichiro rolled his eyes and huffed with a bit of exasperation. _He must need a distraction._ Standing from the table, he excused himself awkwardly and drew several pairs of eyes on him. _Stop looking at me, stop looking at me,_ he recited while turning to find the bathroom. The eyes followed him briefly before resuming their conversation.

He slipped himself into a stall, and sent a generic selfie to _whale_shark22._ He knew better than to leave the bathroom just yet, so he stood and waited for _his_ stamp of approval.

 _whale_shark22:_ Lift your shirt over your head

Jittery fingers raised the shirt in haste, obliging to _whale_shark22’_ s request as always. All he could think about was accomplishing the task and returning to the party. Goosebumps began to spread like wildfire across his skin with the rush of cool air. He shuddered as his nipples hardened, and settled a thumb at his waistband, snapping another picture. Without giving the photo much thought, he pressed send.

As he remained on standby for the next instruction, warmth enveloped him. Excitement bubbled over as he considered his situation. He was literally standing in a public restroom awaiting his _sugar daddy_ ’s approval. The abrupt warmness flushed his cheeks and chest making him forget he was ever cold.

Aiichiro loved the attention he received from _whale_shark22_ , and as days, demands, and conversation passed, he only wanted to meet the man more. He knew it wasn’t plausible, as the man put his foot down many times, but that didn’t stop his desire.

Another buzz told him the night’s task remained unfinished, and the longer he hid there, the _naughtier_ he felt.

 _whale_shark22:_ Make that face I like

He knew exactly what to do. He straightened himself, rolling his shoulders back and opening his chest. Teeth grazed his bottom lip, holding it in place, and cerulean eyes widened, imitating the perfect expression of _innocence._ His face flawlessly portrayed the lewd inquiry of “ _Daddy_?”

He received two notifications simultaneously, and he knew without looking that _whale_shark22_ deposited money into his account. He resituated himself and stepped out of the stall to check himself in the mirror. After a simple once over and noting how pinks his cheeks were, he opened the notification in _Suga Baby_.

_whale_shark22 has deposited 8000 yen into your account._

_whale_shark22:_ Ok, I’ll leave you alone for the night

His face fell somber without an encouragement attached to the deposit. He had hoped something other than a farewell would’ve been issued, but nothing. He smiled weakly and reminded himself that the two weren’t in a relationship other than _sugar daddy_ and _baby._

Remembering where he was, he bounded on his heels and hurried to the exit. Upon opening the door, he went to pocket his phone and _BAM._ He collided with a wall of muscle for the second time that night. He staggered back a few steps into the bathroom, dropping his phone on the tile.

“ _Gomen, gomen,”_ Aiichiro mumbled the apology, still feeling disoriented.

The stranger bent down and fetched the clumsy man’s phone, and Aiichiro blinked into focus at the same time the man stood.

“Oh! Sousuke-kun,” he squeaked. He ran into the same person twice in one night; Sousuke probably thought he was a complete ditz.

Sousuke’s intense gaze flicked from the screen to Aiichiro before handing him the phone. “Not bad,” he commented casually as he passed and ducked into a stall.

 _Not bad?_ He repeated Sousuke’s words in his head. With brows knitted together, he checked for damage on his phone.

His stomach hit rock bottom. His phone was fine, _perfectly_ fine- no cracks, dents, or scrapes. Honestly, he wished, _begged,_ for that to be the reason his stomach flipped.

He must have - stupidly - forgotten to exit _Suga Baby_ , and the racy picture of him filled the screen. Not only had Sousuke, the guy he just met and literally ran into _twice_ , seen the picture, but he commented on it. Anxiety twisted his stomach, and Aiichiro felt the contents of it threaten his throat. Embarrassment didn’t even begin to cover what he was experiencing. _Not bad._

Aiichiro stumbled out of the bathroom, not ever wanting to look Sousuke in the eye again, and shakily walked to the table. His limbs shook the entire way, and continued to as he slumped down in his chair.

Momo leaned over, noticing Ai’s very apparent nerves.  “You alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Gold eyes widened in shock. “Oh my god, is there a ghost in the bathroom?!”

To Aiichiro’s dismay, Makoto heard Momo and ducked dramatically behind Haru with hands flying to his face. “D-did someone say g-ghost?” He stuttered pathetically.

Rin flashed suspicious eyes in Makoto’s direction while Haru continued eating his dinner, completely unaffected.

Aiichiro death glared at Momo for not managing a whisper, because thanks to his best friend, the whole table stared at him with concern.

Nagisa leaned across the table. “Ai-chan, you look awful! Are you sick? Is it the food? This is why you should’ve just ordered dessert!”

“Nagisa-kun, don’t suffocate him,” Rei placed a firm hand on the over exuberant boy’s shoulder, reeling him into his chair.  

Rin, still glancing towards Makoto and Haru, asked, “You okay, Ai?”

“Y-yeah.” Aiichiro audibly swallowed, putting the bile at bay. “Fine.”

 Luckily and unluckily, Sou returned to the table causing a momentary distraction. The focus left Aiichiro as the man standing opened his mouth.

 _Don’t say anything._ He slammed his eyes shut, and clenched his fists. _Don’t say anything._ He pleaded, nails digging into his palms.

 “What’d I miss?” Sousuke asked casually, silently wondering why everyone had such intense focus.

 Rin offered Aiichiro a brief sympathetic look and diverted the conversation with ease. “Nagisa wants to show you how many marshmallows he can fit in his mouth.”

“Do they even have marshmallows here?” The smallest sliver of interest reflected in Sousuke’s impassive gaze as he returned to his seat.

Nagisa erratically whipped out a backpack from nowhere, yanking a bag of the gooey treats from the biggest pocket. “Always be prepared!” He cried.

Momo sounded from beside Aiichiro, visibly bouncing in his seat, “I wanna try!”

“You just had to bring it up, Rin-san.” Rei adjusted his red frames, and massaged his temples.

 Rin flashed an amused grin, turning towards Haru, “You have the final say.”

 Haru looked lazily between Momo and Nagisa, giving nothing away. “My money’s on Momo.”

“Haru-chaaaaaan!” Nagisa whined over the table’s laughter.

Sei brought the volume down after they attracted attention from other tables, and scolded both competitors while trying to hold back his own laughter.

Aiichiro watched the table resume to its happiness before he sucked the liveliness from it with his fear. He tried joining in, encouraging Momo to stuff marshmallow after marshmallow into his mouth, but the anxiety of what Sousuke saw still nagged at his mind.

 _It could be worse,_ he reaffirmed himself, _I could’ve been naked._ Honestly, it probably would’ve been better if Sousuke hadn’t said anything at all. _‘Not bad’_ Aiichiro rolled the words on his tongue, _Not. Bad._

For the first time in his life, or at least in a while, he looked forward to drowning his insecurities with alcohol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I totally did NOT plan for this to line up with shark boy's birthday, but omg it did! YAY! The rest of the birthday party will be in the next chapter. Stay tuned. <3 
> 
> Friendly reminder: comments fire me up!


	5. Liquid Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin's birthday party part two! Yay I got this out on actual Shark Boy's birthday. :)

“To Rin!” Nagisa yelled over the thumping music of the club.

Beneath the multicolored strobe lights, the group cheerfully clinked their glasses together and downed a shot of the birthday boy’s choice. A few of them looked disgusted at whatever they just willingly drank, while others took it like a champ. To Aiichiro’s surprise, the alcohol went down with ease, calming every nerve along the way.

After placing their empty glasses on a nearby table, the gang dispersed into smaller groups. Nagisa dragged Rei to the dance floor, already bopping to the deafening pop music, and Momo followed them.

“Come on, Ai!” His roommate shouted, goofily dancing backwards onto the floor.

Aiichiro covered a giggle with his hand even though it went unheard, and just waved goodbye to Momo. The orange-haired man shrugged, turning on his heels and jumping around with Nagisa, while Rei shifted awkwardly. _He needs another drink,_ he noted, watching Rei try to sway.

“You owe me a shot since you lost the marshmallow bet!” Rin proclaimed, linking arms with Haru.

“I thought I owed you shot because it’s your birthday,” the raven spoke louder than Aiichiro had ever heard.

“Fine! You owe me two!” Rin reeled them towards the bar with Makoto following after them in a motherly fashion.

Right at that moment, Sei shifted and fished out something from his pocket. In the brief moment he held his phone out, Aiichiro swore he saw ‘ _Matsuoka Gou_ ’ on the well-lit screen. Silver brows raised in suspicion as Sei hurried off with the phone pressed to his ear.

He mentally checked off each member of the group- the only ones left were him and… he glanced to his left. Sousuke stood stiffly with his eyes glaring in one particular direction, and without a second thought, Aiichiro scurried away. There was no way in hell he was going to be left standing alone with him. Besides, the birthday shot he had wasn't cutting it anymore, and he desperately needed something else.

After beelining towards one of the bars, he squeezed himself in between strangers and helplessly stared at a bartender until one of them looked his way. The people on either side of him kept bumping into him while dancing to the song that blasted through the speakers. Aiichiro never understood why people stood at the bar after ordering their drink.  You get them and go, not stand in people’s way. Okay, maybe he was just bitter, because not one server acknowledged him.

Standing on his tiptoes, he leaned over the bar in hopes to attract some attention. _Yes,_ he locked eyes with someone. The bartender walked over and- _NO._ Aiichiro narrowed his gaze in annoyance as a woman with a dangerously low neckline approached the bar. He threw his head back in exasperation, _figures._

“What can I get you, small fry?”

Aiichiro popped his head back up and was met with a woman bartender. She had neon pink hair, tattoos, piercings galore, and a bright, contagious smile.

“M-malibu and sprite,” he leaned in so that he didn’t have to yell.

She nodded briskly, and immediately grabbed a short glass from nowhere, pouring the coconut rum over ice.

“Can you make it a double?” Aiichiro piped up, not satisfied with the little amount of alcohol in his glass.

The bartender shook her head, “No can do, small fry.”

He slumped with a pout, wishing he would have just ordered something stronger instead of a delicious drink. Sighing, Aiichiro glanced at the bartender to watch her finish making the beverage. A grateful grin spread across his features as he watched her fill the glass more than halfway with rum. She added a splash of sprite, and a pineapple for decoration.

“Say anything to anyone and we’ll have a problem,” she threatened with a smile.

“Thank you,” he squeaked, handing her way more money than the drink was worth.

“No, _thank you_ , small fry,” she exaggerated, counting the yen in her hand. She quickly shoved it in her pocket and waved him a goodbye before turning to the next customer.

Aiichiro faced the swarm of people crowding the dance floor, and just beyond them, he noticed tall tables and booths lining the wall. He scurried in that direction, squirming between dancers along the way.

Many of the tables were empty, well except for empty glasses that people ditched in haste, and he picked one that lined up perfectly with the center of the club. All he wanted to do was sit and feel the warm tingling sensations cover his body as he downed his drink.

From the table, he spotted Nagisa and Momo still jumping in rhythm with the music, and Rei finally beginning to let loose. As he continued drinking the glass of Malibu, he surveyed until he marked another person from the birthday group. Sei towered over many of the people in the club, making him an easy person to see. He waved his hands about and talked animatedly with… _Uh oh._ Gou-san stood directly across from him with a wide smile. Aiichiro quickly scanned the room for Rin, but couldn’t find him, and flitted his eyes back to the couple. They were gone, and he prayed, for everyone’s sake, that Rin did not find out about Gou showing up.

 Everyone at the party seemed to have their own clique, so why was Aiichiro singling himself out? Momo had invited him to hang with Nagisa and Rei, but the shy man never danced while sober. It was one thing he stuck to, and he didn’t plan on breaking it anytime soon. He wondered what _whale_shark22_ liked to do at clubs, and before he told himself otherwise, he pulled out his phone. He opened _Suga Baby_ and started typing away in the message box.

He backspaced it, thinking it was a stupid question, and wrote something else: _What else did you think of the picture?_ He erased the words and tried again. _What are you up to?_ He deleted the text and stared at the screen. _Texting him should not be this difficult,_ he bitterly thought to himself.

“Boyfriend troubles?”

Aiichiro whipped in the direction of the low voice calling over the music and was met with Sousuke. He involuntarily jumped, startled by the rather large man sitting next to him. “Uh- b-boyfriend… Heh no, no. Not like that,” he rambled.

Sousuke slid closer, “What?”

Wide, cerulean eyes panicked and searched for something to fix the situation- his drink. Aiichiro sucked down the rest of his alcohol, and answered the man a little louder. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Then who are you sending those pictures to?”

The guy just had to bring up what he saw. _Nosy._ “Th-that’s none of your business,” Aiichiro huffed, not caring if he seemed a little rude. Luckily, the rum slowly began to fire up his confidence.

A surprisingly warm laugh sounded from beside him and Aiichiro glanced up to see Sousuke throwing up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay.”

Aiichiro returned his attention to _Suga Baby_ and closed the app. He wanted to avoid talking with the man next to him, so he opened _Facebook_ instead and skimmed through his friends’ statuses. A video of otter pups playing together in a kiddie pool caught his eye; he couldn’t _not_ share it on Momo’s timeline.

Sousuke scoffed next to him, “You’re that bored?”

Aiichiro side-glanced at the raven, fortunately not meeting his gaze. “Sorry?”

While still staring somewhere out at the club, Sousuke thumbed towards Aiichiro’s phone, “You’re scrolling through _Facebook_ … at a club.”

Aiichiro had to bite back his tongue from making a harsh ‘tch’; the alcohol revving up his every reaction. “And what are you doing?” He confidentially quipped.

Sousuke shrugged. “Socializing.”

“Why?”

Teal eyes flickered to Aiichiro before returning to the dance floor. “Bored,” he admitted.

A giggle erupted from Aiichiro’s chest; _this guy is a walking double standard_.

Sousuke eyed him curiously, clearly taken back by the sudden change of emotions. “What?”

“It’s nothing,” Aiichiro waved both hands with a smile. “But you’re criticizing me for being on my phone and the only reason you’re to talking to me is because you’re bored.”

Impassiveness glazed Sousuke’s features, but he kept his focus on Aiichiro. “That’s not the only reason.”

Even though nothing in the raven’s face gave anything away, there was a certain darkness that etched his voice. Aiichiro’s mouth grew dry as he audibly swallowed the remaining moisture. “W-what?” His voice cracked.

As Sousuke opened his mouth to respond, something distracted him just beyond Aiichiro. He quickly backtracked, suddenly interested in the patrons of the club.

Aiichiro turned around to see what caused that reaction and was immediately met with Momo approaching the table.

“Are you drunk enough to come dance yet, Ai-chan?” He inquired with a beaming grin before flitting suspicious gold depths to Sousuke.

“Nope.” Honestly, he wasn’t drunk enough for a lot of things, like forgetting what the raven just said.

“Then let’s get shots!” Momo declared, grabbing a reluctant Aiichiro’s hand and yanking him out from behind the table.

“I was talking to someone, Momo-kun!” He hollered at his friend who snaked them through the crowd.

“But I want you to dance with me!” Momo shouted back over his shoulder, positively beaming.

Reciprocating the smile, Aiichiro stopped slowing them down, and let Momo guide him more willingly. No one could say ‘no’ to that joyful smile… except maybe Gou-san.  

After buying and consuming their shots, Aiichiro welcomed the buzz prickling his chest. It gradually spread to his limbs as Momo led them onto the dance floor where Rei and Nagisa were. Right when they made it to their destination, the blond stopped a server holding a tray of brightly colored shots and purchased four. He passed the plastic tubes out to all of them, wiggling his hips as he went.

“Nagisa-kun, you know I’m driving,” Rei pushed the outstretched hand disapprovingly.

“More for me!” Nagisa proclaimed shrilly with a devious grin and bumped shots with the other two.

Aiichiro downed his greedily, praying the buzz would take the reigns when he started dancing.

As they handed their empty glasses to the waiter, Nagisa shouted at Aiichiro, “I’m glad you finally joined us!” The blond’s face radiated with flushed cheeks and sections of his bangs stuck against his forehead.

Aiichiro couldn’t help but find his upbeat personality infectious, causing him to beam as he responded, “Me too!”

“That’s the spirit, Ai!” Momo shouted in victory, moving behind Aiichiro and gripping his hips as he swayed them to the beat.

If the silver-haired man were sober, he could guarantee he’d be a blushing, embarrassed mess. Luckily for him, alcohol conjured his inner confident (and maybe even sexy) self.

Nagisa stepped forward and closed the gap between them by linking his arms loosely around Aiichiro’s neck. He moved a leg between Ai’s and grabbed Rei’s hands to place them on his own hips, mirroring Momo. The four of the moved together in sync with the music.

Aiichiro closed his eyes, letting the alcohol steer his hips left and right… or maybe that was Momo-kun. He peered his eyes open to find Nagisa in his own little world, working his backside in languid motions against his boyfriend’s crotch. Rei’s lids were squeezed shut with his face screwed up in concentration. _Probably trying not get hard,_ Aiichiro giggled to himself. At least he knew that he didn’t look like Rei while pressed between two guys; it wasn’t his first time doing such a thing.

Him and Momo used to go out a lot more, before Aiichiro had been cut off from his parents. They would close down clubs while drunkenly dancing with strangers and each other, enjoying a carefree life.

Completely enamored by the bass-pounding floor, Aiichiro lost himself to the drumming and let his hands settle on Nagisa’s waist, flushing them together. _Not bad_ , he thought to himself, finding an easy tempo with the blond. Wait, where had he heard those words before? Oh, right. _Sousuke._

Tilting his head towards the table, he locked eyes with the stoic raven. _I’ll show you ‘not bad’,_ Aiichiro eyed him cockily before closing his eyes and relaxing against his best friend’s chest. He lolled his head to the side while one hand left Nagisa’s waist to wander Momo’s torso. His hand glided up Momo until reaching the man’s neck, where he wrapped his fingers around the base, and grinded his hips in perfect rhythm.

“There you go, Ai-chan,” Momo encouraged in his ear with a small chuckle, dropping his grip lower on Aiichiro’s hips.

He circled against Momo without missing a beat and twirled his fingers through damp wild locks. As he blinked heavy lids open, he locked on Nagisa’s rosy gaze. The blond’s lids drooped as he trailed a gentle hand up and down Aiichiro’s chest. He arched into Nagisa’s touch involuntarily, craving more. His movements didn’t go unnoticed; the blond leaned in closer, shutting his eyes and guiding Aiichiro’s head. In one split second, their lips went from barely ghosting each other to-

“I believe that’s our cue to go!” Rei exclaimed as his arms wrapped around his boyfriend’s waist, hoisting him up and away.

“But, Rei-chan!” The blond whined. “Ai-chan is so pretty!” His lips puffed out into a defeated pout as Rei carried him away, profusely apologizing for Nagisa’s behavior.

Aiichiro turned to face Momo after the couple left and shrugged off his almost kiss with Nagisa. His arms looped easily around his best friend’s neck, ready to get back in the swing of things, but Momo was laughing.

“I can’t believe Nagisa almost kissed you!” He shook his head in disbelief with a grin plastered on his face.

Aiichiro giggled. “Right? Did you see Rei’s face?!”

“Yeah!” Momo snorted, “He looked…” Shocked gold depths stared right over silver locks. “Gou-san?” His grin grew wider and he quickly released Ai’s waist, jutting off towards the girl.

Again, Aiichiro was left alone, but this time he wanted to stay out on the dance floor. His gaze briefly flicked to the raven who was still looming at the table. “Hmmm,” he hummed to himself aloud before understanding just exactly what he was thinking. _No. No way you’re dancing with him,_ Aiichiro scolded himself for even thinking such a thing. Sousuke was Rin’s friend… Rin’s tall, dark, and _handsome_ friend. _Ugh,_ he groaned, attempting to rid his mind of the raven.

Observing his surroundings, Aiichiro found a male relatively close to him, idly swaying to the music. If he just danced near the guy, maybe he’d earn himself a new partner… so he did just that. Sure enough, it took the male approximately 15 seconds to notice. Aiichiro offered a coy smirk over his shoulder, hoping to invite the male to move behind him. Luckily things went as planned, and the stranger grabbed onto his hips, grinding against Aiichiro’s backside.

Aiichiro rolled his body languidly, relishing in the way his senses were overran by alcohol. Confidence eluded him as he slid down the stranger until he was squatting and raised himself agonizingly slow as if to tease the man. He repeated the taunting move, but this time, his jacket fell to his forearms. Unfamiliar hands peeled the rest of the hoodie off, tossing it to the floor and skimmed Aiichiro’s bare arms. The greedy hands traveled to the hem of Aiichiro’s shirt and dipped beneath the fabric, trailing faintly across his abdomen. Aiichiro stilled at the man’s braveness as he thumbed between the denim causing Aiichiro to step forward and break the contact. Even in his state, he wasn’t comfortable with a stranger advancing on him so publicly and brashly. In mid breakaway, a strong hand gripped his shoulder and yanked him completely from the stranger.

Aiichiro blinked up at Sousuke as the raven angrily glared down the man. “You’re done,” he commanded aggressively. The man backed away until he was at a safe distance and turned to find someone else to get handsy with.

Sousuke scooped up the forgotten jacket, and pulled Aiichiro’s arm for him to follow, but the drunken man’s feet planted firmly.

“Let’s go,” Sousuke ushered, tilting his head towards the table.

Aiichiro ripped his arm from the raven’s grasp and crossed his arms in front of him. “Tell me why you stopped that guy.” He narrowed his gaze, attempting to sound and look serious.  

 “Because he was running his hands all over you,” Sousuke answered, irritation evident in his tone.

“So?”

“You didn’t like it.”

Aiichiro rolled his eyes stubbornly, his drunkenness amplifying every mood he encountered. Sousuke was right and he knew it, but he didn’t think the raven was telling the whole truth. “I’ll come with you if you tell me the other reason,” he bargained.

“The other reason, what?”

“The other reason you stopped him,” Aiichiro explained exasperatedly, waving in the general direction of the handsy man.

Sousuke held his harsh gaze before averting it somewhere else. “There’s no other reason,” he gritted.

“Liar.”

“Are you always like this? Just come on.”

“No.” Aiichiro childishly stamped his foot on the ground to emphasize the meaning.

Sousuke flashed him a dangerous look that basically said, _Don’t make me come over there,_ and Aiichiro hesitantly stepped back. The raven advanced with his hand out, ready to move him by force, but someone interrupted them.

“Time to get this one home!” Sei said to Sousuke as he ruffled silver locks.

Sousuke retreated his hand and offered a stiff nod while handing Sei Aiichiro’s jacket.

“Don’t wanna go home,” Aiichiro mumbled under his breath. Every time a conversation with Sousuke was getting interesting, one of the Mikoshiba brothers “conveniently” showed up. It was annoying.

Apparently, Sei had keen ears because he patted Aiichiro’s head and said, “Sorry, kid. Momo’s already in the car.” He offered his goodbyes to Sousuke before leading the way out.

“See ya,” the raven said in return as his frustrated features relaxed into apathy. He gave Aiichiro a brief once over and turned his back towards him, walking further into the sea of people.  

Aiichiro grudgingly headed Sei’s way, wondering if he’d have enough confidence in the future to press for answers from Sousuke. Not that it mattered anyway, they probably wouldn’t see each other again until the next birthday gathering, and by then, the conversations would lay forgotten. He huffed, wishing he’d have an opportunity to receive the answers he was looking for, and his mother’s nagging words ringed in his ears, _be careful what you wish for._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ai dancing with the boys is giving me life.  
> Don't forget to comment! I wanna know what y'all are thinking. :)


	6. Similarities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little look into Ai's inspiration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 75 kudos?! Thanks so much!!

Aiichiro spent the Sunday morning after Rin’s birthday admiring his favorite blogger. Curly cotton-candy locks framed a glowing, flawless face, and not one person could say they weren’t attracted to the man staring back at him. Everything about him eluded sex appeal, and absolutely nothing innocent lurked behind his gleaming amethyst eyes. Kisumi Shigino was the most aesthetically pleasing NSFW blogger on Tumblr.

He had stumbled upon Kisumi during his first few months of college when his parents could no longer keep a keen eye on him. Finally, after years of having to hide his ‘ _mature content’_ , he was able to do whatever he wanted without worrying someone might walk in. Like most teens at that age, Aiichiro went full rebellious mode and dived right in, creating his own NSFW Tumblr.

After studying Kisumi and basically becoming his number one fan, he started posting more frequently, gaining his own little fanbase. When he says little, he means approximately seven people who consistently reblogged his posts. Of course, at first, Aiichiro didn’t really know what he was doing. He had no clue which angle was the ‘right angle’ or how to enhance his appearance to make things bigger or smaller. Now? He knew all too well, thanks to Kisumi. The cotton-candy prince (what he liked to call him anyway) was his muse, and Aiichiro mimicked all his faceless photographs. It was mainly just to learn, but also to hopefully receive an _ounce_ of the attention that Kisumi received.

A part of him wondered if Kisumi knew about him because of how frequently Aiichiro reblogged his pictures and videos. Though, it was probably unlikely, because Kisumi’s fanbase was a lot larger than Aiichiro’s mere seven.

His mouse continued idly scrolling through Kisumi’s page as envy ignited in his chest. Obviously, Aiichiro was jealous because of Kisumi’s gorgeous features, but it was more than that. From what he gathered, Kisumi didn’t have an insecure bone in his body. Not even just that! Kisumi bared his face proudly all over the _very_ public site, clearly not giving a damn if the ‘wrong’ person happened upon it. Aiichiro wished he could do such a thing; he even tried a few times, but he backed out of the post every-single-time.

Suddenly, Aiichiro snapped out of his deep admiration, checking the clock and realizing it was time to get ready for work. He closed his laptop and slouched in his desk chair with a sigh. Yesterday, he heard nothing from _whale_shark22,_ and he considered messaging him first, but not only did his timidities keep him from that, Momo did too. Not intentionally, but he wanted to tell Aiichiro about what happened with Gou-san.

According to Momo, Sei thought he was too intoxicated and overwhelming to be discussing things with Gou, so he ushered Momo to the car. All Aiichiro had to do was quirk a single brow at Momo to get him to admit that maybe he made a spectacle. From what he understood, Momo probably suffocated Gou with all his passionate stag beetle talk. Honestly, talking about such things never bothered Aiichiro as long as Momo kept his critters away from him.

He did manage to ask Momo if Rin ever found out about Gou showing up, and apparently, he hadn’t. But then again, no one had really seen Rin, Haru, or Makoto after they disappeared to get drinks right after the birthday toast. 

When they reached a lull in their conversation, Momo had questioned Aiichiro about Sousuke. Aiichiro mumbled that they only talked about being bored, but this didn’t satiate his roommate’s curiosity. Momo pressed further, wanting a complete play-by-play. He answered the fiery man by saying it really wasn’t anything, and added a few more details, but that was it, because that’s all there was. Well, outside of what happened in the restaurant bathroom and after Momo left him alone on the dance floor. His roommate seemed content with his explanation though, and dropped the subject by segueing into why Aiichiro has been holed up in his bedroom. Aiichiro felt an instant pang of guilt at his best friend’s words, realizing they hadn’t spent much time together. He decided to set time aside for Momo every week and _whale_shark22_ would just have to deal.

“Oh my god!” Aiichiro squeaked when glancing at clock again; he was so going to be late for work.

-x-  

After clocking in literally right on time, Aiichiro allowed himself a brief moment to observe the Matsuoka siblings. All seemed well with them, so he assumed Rin didn’t know about his sister sneaking into the party, and Aiichiro wrote a mental note to keep his mouth shut.

He let his work consume him so that he could forget about Friday night and _whale_shark22._ The mental break from his usual nervousness was welcomed, and before he knew it, the last hour of work approached.  The day passed in a foggy haze, and Aiichiro wondered where time had gone.  

As he serviced the last customer in the shop, a faint jingle told him another one had just arrived, and Rin greeted them.

“Are you lost officer?” Rin sneered. “Would you like a _frilly_ apron to go with that outfit?”

Aiichiro finished clearing his last table and snuck a peek over his shoulder at the person Rin clearly knew. The very last person he expected to see stood stoically, clad with a navy uniform clutching to every defined muscle in the entryway.  The server snapped his head back to bussing the table, hopefully going unnoticed by Sousuke. _Be careful what you wish for._ He almost smacked himself right then and there for his mother’s words proving to be true.

“I can leave,” Sousuke threatened back.

Rin laughed, followed by a loud smack on what Aiichiro assumed to be Sou’s arm or back, “Nah, I’m glad you finally showed up.”

Sousuke huffed, “I’ve been here before”

“Yeah, when we were twelve,” Rin scoffed.

“Stop being dramatic; it hasn’t been that long.”

“Tch.”

“Is that Sousuke-kun I hear?” Aiichiro turned to see Matsuoka-san appear from the kitchen, eagerly walking towards the raven with outstretched arms. “What do we owe the pleasure?” 

She hugged him, and he kissed her on the cheek while apologizing for not coming around more often. A genuine, heart-felt smile graced Sousuke’s features, causing Aiichiro to go weak in the knees. Turning away again, he bussed the same tables while listening to Matsuoka-san wave off the apology and usher Sousuke to sit.

“I have to get back to the kitchen, but Nitori-kun will serve you.”

Aiichiro’s entire frame tensed, dropping the wet rag on the floor. He probably attracted a few sets of eyes with the noise, but he didn’t pay them any mind. Releasing a shaky breath, he scooped up the rag and tossed it in a nearby bin for washing. Jittery hands patted down the front of his apron, and he approached Sousuke’s table. A simple ‘hey’ or ‘what can I get you?’ would’ve sufficed, but instead, Aiichiro babbled his typical spiel.

“Welcome to _Sweet Sweet Sakura Tea_ , I’m Aiichiro, how may I serve you?”

The raven glanced up at him with a glimmer of amusement before returning to the menu. “I really don’t understand why there isn’t _any_ coffee.”

 _What?_ “M-maybe because it’s a tea café, Sousuke-kun,” he confirmed.

“Mm, don’t do that.”

“Ha,” Aiichiro laughed awkwardly, his fingers twisting nervously together, “Do what?”

“It’s either Sou or Sousuke,” the raven affirmed with a low tone.

 _Oh._ Aiichiro’s hands stilled as a small blush crept across his cheeks, feeling thankful Sousuke was too engrossed in the menu to see.

“I’ll try one of the dark chocolate truffles,” Sousuke decided at last, handing Aiichiro the one-page menu.

“Coming right up!” The server replied with an automatic bow and scrambled away.

 _That wasn’t so bad,_ Aiichiro thought to himself, his heartrate gradually declining to a steady pace. If he had just an ounce of courage, he’d ask Sousuke the questions he was dying to ask. Such as, _why are you here? Why else did you talk to me at the club? Why did you drag me away from that guy? And what do you mean by ‘not bad’?_ For a moment, a _fleeting_ moment, he thought perhaps he could ask Sousuke those things, so he wished for him to show up. Never, in a million years, did he expect for his stupid wish to come true… and so soon.

 _Breathe,_ Aiichiro reminded himself while whisking away in the kitchen and plating the truffle. Just as he added the garnish, Gou popped up out of thin air.

“Do you mind if I take that to Sousuke-kun?”

“N-no.” He shoved the plate a little too enthusiastically in the girl’s hands, thankful for the opportunity to avoid the raven.

Gou chuckled and raised her brows with concern, “You okay?”

“Sorry, yes, I’m fine,” he laughed uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Hmm…” She hummed thoughtfully, bounding on her heels and heading out the kitchen door.

Shuffling quietly behind her, Aiichiro stopped at the counter and watched from afar as Gou walked happily to Sousuke, her ponytail swishing like a pendulum.

The moment Sousuke caught sight of her, he stood and waited for her to set the plate down. She hastily discarded it, throwing her arms around Sousuke’s neck as his arms enveloped her into a bear hug. The genuine, dazzling smile returned, and Aiichiro’s own mind betrayed him, wondering if he could ever get that reaction from the raven.

After standing there for some time, observing the two childhood friends, Aiichiro began the closing routine of the shop. Matsuoka-san had dismissed him from the kitchen, informing him that she had it covered, so he tended to the rest. He almost asked Rin for help, but now, both siblings were chatting it up animatedly with Sousuke. Not wanting to intrude, Aiichiro proceeded with the process by himself.

 _No biggie,_ he brushed it off, happy to take care of things while the friends caught up. Plus, busy hands meant a busy mind, so there was no room for dreaded thoughts.

Aiichiro meticulously wiped down the counters, tables, and chairs (except for the ones that were currently occupied). The only things left were to wash the floors and cash Sousuke out. He printed off the ticket, placing it in a black billfold, and carefully approached the trio.

Their laughs from a joke Rin told died down, and Aiichiro gently set the bill on the table.

“I’ve been waiting for this.” Sousuke swiftly picked up the bill, snapping it closed with his credit card inside and handing it back to Aiichiro. “Now I can actually leave.”

 _Oh my god._ Was he waiting that entire time for Aiichiro to bring him the ticket? “I’m so sorry, Sousuke-kun,” he stumbled through his apology, feeling like a complete idiot.  

Rin slapped him on the shoulder, flashing a toothy grin, “Sou’s just messing with you, Ai, he can’t help it that he’s a dick.” He flashed his fiery gaze to the man across from him.

Sousuke leaned back, shrugging, “I have one anyway, which is more than you can say.”

Aiichiro was sure he was going to have whiplash trying to keep up with their banter, and considered backing away for safety. As if Gou read his thoughts, she stood and hesitantly giggled, “Nitori-kun, let’s leave them be.” She hooked her arm in his, dragging him away from the crude insults flying back and forth between _friends._

“Is your ass jealous of the amount of shit that just came out of your mouth?”

“If there weren’t assholes like me, there wouldn’t be shit like you.”

Their voices continued to increase, and just as Gou prepared her managerial face, Matsuoka-san stomped out of the kitchen, leaning over the counter to yell, “Boys!”

Both Rin and Sousuke stilled, sitting straight up and cautiously looking at the intimidating gaze.

“Are you done?” She quipped.

“That’s funny, you’re giving my middle finger a boner,” Rin muttered under his breath, flipping Sou the bird.

Without missing a beat, Sousuke shot back, “Your girl told me it’s the only boner you can get.”

Matsuoka-san pinched the bridge of her nose as the corners of her lips tugged upward. “You boys haven’t aged a bit,” she remarked with a shake of her head, and trailed back into the kitchen.

Aiichiro finished with Sousuke’s card and clocked out so that he’d be ready to walk right out the door once he returned it. After offering a quick apology to Gou for not mopping the floors, she waved him off, saying Rin could do it. He thanked her and bid her a farewell while hurriedly ambling towards Rin and Sousuke.

Placing the card on the table, he wished them a brief good evening and went to leave, but Rin decided to strike up a new conversation.

“Ai, show Sou your keychain. He was the one I was telling you about.”

 _Sousuke’s animal spirt is a whale shark?_ Great, now every time he thinks about his _sugar daddy_ , he’ll be reminded of Sousuke. Aiichiro fumbled with his lanyard and displayed the tiny whale shark in his palm.

The raven nodded with mild interest, “Cool. Where’d you get it?”

“A friend.” Aiichiro closed his hand around it, bringing the arm down to his side.

Rin laughed suddenly, catching them both off guard, “Sou, try to guess Ai’s spirit animal!”

Aiichiro teetered, surprised by his senpai’s change of direction while Sousuke only took a moment to simply decide his answer.

“A duck.”

Aiichiro couldn’t tear his astonished gaze away from the guy who literally just saw right through him. Honestly, he didn’t know whether to feel giddy or unsettled that Sousuke understood him so soon. Perhaps Sousuke had a knack for spirit animals? Although, Rin’s gaping mouth said otherwise.

“What the hell? Since when do you know anything about spirit animals?”

“It was just a guess,” Sousuke replied coolly.

Multiple things swirled in Aiichiro’s mind, but none formed on his tongue. The raven continuously piqued his interest, and he didn’t understand how someone could be so mysterious. Part of him thought Sousuke’s behavior was rather annoying, yet, somehow… cool? The aloofness and brashness were absolutely unfathomable to Aiichiro; he could never be like Sousuke.

“Some guess,” Rin mumbled incredulously.

That seemed to snap Aiichiro out of his immobility; he ineptly rambled a goodbye without commenting on Sousuke’s correct presumption. Besides, he needed to get home in case _whale_shark22_ messaged him. Okay, maybe that was the optimism talking, but it had been close to 48 hours without a single text. Surely, he’d feel that familiar buzz demanding attention soon.

As if on cue, a new notification from _Suga Daddy_ alerted him while on his journey home.

 _whale_shark22:_ _You home yet?_

That’s funny, Aiichiro didn’t remember sending this week’s schedule to him. _Probably just assumed since I work every Sunday,_ he shrugged it off. Mild annoyance pricked his skin; that was twice today someone predicted something accurate about Aiichiro. He inwardly groaned; _whale_shark22_ really did remind him of Sousuke.

 _No_ , he argued with himself, _just because they have two similarities doesn’t mean they’re anything alike._ Although, Sousuke did compliment him like his sugar daddy does. Aiichiro hummed to himself, _was ‘not bad’ really even a compliment?_ He almost felt like it was a bit more of a challenge, like Aiichiro needed to _prove_ he was so much more than ‘not bad’. _I bet Kisumi never received a ‘not bad’ on his pictures._

That was it! Maybe he just needed to channel his inner Kisumi- the sass, the promiscuity, the ‘there’s not one innocent thing about me’. Aiichiro knew he had the potential, he just needed to execute it. Luckily for him, boldness and cheekiness were much easier to portray over text.

Without thinking twice about it, Aiichiro quickly typed a response and hit send, looking forward to the fun it would ensue.

 _duckling_14:_ Why? Finally missed me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Few things:  
> -KISUMI WOULD BE THE HOTTEST PORN BLOGGER EVERRRRRR just sayin  
> -Ai repeating his usual introduction 'cause he's nervous is ME. :P Also, poor baby for not getting the joke, but that's okay because we're on our way to a more confident Ai! <3  
> -I hope y'all enjoyed Rin and Sou's banter... I had to add in their 'loving' friendship. ;)  
> -PFFFT Sousuke acting like he had a 'lucky guess'. He thinks he's so smooth. :P 
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know what you're thinking! I love when people talk to me. XD 
> 
> Also, did you see? I edited it to say that there are 15 chapters TOTAL. We're getting there people! Stay with me! I've got plans. >:D


	7. Confidence & Connections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momo unknowingly helps Ai out.

Aiichiro lounged on the couch after setting up Mario Kart for him and Momo to play; he finally set aside time for his best friend and was immensely grateful for Momo pushing him to do so. He needed this- a break from the crazy last few weeks he had endured. Between juggling work, school, and _whale_shark22,_ Aiichiro felt the stress start to lay on thick, and he knew a night of videogames with Momo would lift that stress. Now only if his best friend would actually get out of the shower to join him…

Not too long after, the ginger emerged from the bathroom with steam billowing out into the hall. His hair was soaking wet, veiling half his face, and a yellow towel hung from the base of his hips. Aiichiro always envied the way Momo’s body had matured more than his own near the end of high school; not only had Momo grown in length, but in width as well.

“You’re dripping water everywhere,” Aiichiro pointed out, watching the droplets from his hair glide down his chest and off his body.

Without saying a word, Momo closed the gap in eager strides with a mischievous grin plastered on his face and shook his drenched locks all over Aiichiro. The silver-haired man squealed as water sprayed his face and clothes, throwing up his arms trying to block the excess water.

“Momo!” He shrieked over his roommate’s howls.

Aiichiro wiped his face, conjuring a scowl on his lips which he was sure looked pathetic. He tried to hold back his amusement, but failed as giggles fled his lips.

Without a second thought, he scrambled off the couch, launching himself at Momo and crashing them both to the ground. He didn’t know what he was going for, but he took the opportunity to dig his fingers anywhere he could reach, giggling at the squirming body beneath him. Momo had enough and easily flipped them over, grasping both of Aiichiro’s wrists with one hand and planting them above his head. Grinning deviously down at the smaller male, he returned the favor and tickled relentlessly, completely unaware of the towel slipping from his hips.

Aiichiro’s eyes wandered down Momo’s muscular frame to where the towel no longer hid anything and snapped back up to meet confused gold orbs with a small gulp. Momo’s fingers had stopped their attack as his brows furrowed deeper; his eyes followed Aiichiro’s previous trail. He rocketed himself backwards upon realization, grabbing the towel in haste and tightening it around his midsection as he flushed every shade of red.  Aiichiro wanted to point out that this was payback for seeing him in woman’s underwear, but he couldn’t produce the words.

“I-I’m gonna go get dressed,” Momo stuttered nervously, bolting for his bedroom from sheer embarrassment.

Climbing to his feet, Aiichiro let out a small breathless laugh with a shake of his head. Honestly, his best friend had nothing to be embarrassed about; unlike himself, Momo was _… well-endowed_ , and that’s all Aiichiro was gonna say about that.

Luckily, it didn’t take long for the ginger to reemerge (this time fully clothed) and he plopped down next to Aiichiro on the couch without one word about what had happened. Silently, Aiichiro passed him a controller and they began their night of serious competition.

The silence permitted Aiichiro’s mind to wander and he found himself thinking about the last few weeks. His attitude had taken quite a turn, leaving his insecurities in the dust and welcoming his newfound self-assurance.

Though his confidence hadn’t happened overnight, it had certainly blossomed inside of him within the last few weeks. Not only was he living up to his sugar daddy’s expectations, but he was thoroughly enjoying himself as well. Things seemed easier when he let his _slutty_ side run the show, and he _finally_ felt confident enough to say whatever he damn well pleased. And man, did _whale_shark22_ love it.

Their sexting had kicked up a few notches since Aiichiro willingly described lewd things in grave detail. Just the other day he told his sugar daddy that he wanted to finger-fuck himself wide open and put himself on display for the male. Two words were sent back that made for an interesting night: _Prove it._

So, on that very memorable night, Aiichiro set up his webcam and did exactly what he said he was going to do. After working himself open tauntingly slow in front of the camera, he twisted his rear-end to the cam while splayed out on his knees, lying face down on the bed. He reached around with both hands and grasped his cheeks, spreading them wide open for a good long shot of what _whale_shark22_ was missing out on. Needless to say, he earned a pretty penny that night.

Honestly, the silver-haired man was raking in the money and presents; his sugar daddy didn’t let him down in the slightest. Aiichiro had been rewarded with several things over the last three weeks: rings, chokers, panties with matching stockings, a watch with a cute little duck on the face, and of course, sex toys. His favorite toy (vibrating, pink anal beads) had been used on more than one occasion and outside of  _work_  . There were definitely videos of him working the beads in and out of his ass, and to say it was just for _whale_shark22’_ s pleasure would be a lie.

Something was weird about Aiichiro’s gifts though, well not the gifts specifically, but the comments he received on them. Sure, he had expected a compliment or two on his new jewelry that he proudly wore to the teashop, but not from the same person every time.

Sousuke, someone who had never come around before, had consistently visited _Sweet Sweet Sakura Tea_ for the last few weeks and commented on all of Aiichiro’s new trinkets (the one’s he could wear in public anyway).  He stopped questioning himself about Sousuke showing up to the café during his shifts after the first week and grew accustomed to it. Actually, Aiichiro looked forward to the raven’s arrival because he had taken quite a liking to the broad, muscular, tanned officer (possibly a detective since he happened to know Aiichiro’s schedule every single week). He absolutely loved it when Sousuke showed up in full uniform, even if it did make him a rambling mess. Honestly, anything about the raven made him more nervous than usual; it was annoying how quickly his confidence with _whale_shark22_ faded in the real world. Aiichiro always thought he was fine, but then his gaze would meet Sousuke’s and it was all downhill from there.   

Those brooding teal eyes had captivated Aiichiro, and although Sousuke never gave much away in his face, his depths said it all. He had learned when the male was cranky, amused, annoyed, and even just content from observing him; apparently that’s what happens when the same man shows up at each work shift.

However, to his dismay, Aiichiro had yet to achieve his goal of earning a genuine smile from Sousuke like the Matsuoka family had on multiple occasions. Not that he knew how to even attain such a thing, because when Sousuke did it with them, it was completely natural. So, Aiichiro settled on being himself and hoped it would come out eventually.

What was incredibly strange though, was how Sousuke arrived in a decent mood and always left with a scowl. Aiichiro tried picking up on his mood swings during the second week, but he couldn’t figure them out… until he caught the raven doing something curious the past week.

Aiichiro finally accepted that maybe, _just maybe_ , Sousuke was hanging out at his workplace to see _him_ , but he only recognized that _after_ Gou pointed out that the raven didn’t show up on the days in between. Testing that theory, Aiichiro decided to start wearing khakis that accentuated his backside more. If his ass was as good as _whale_shark22_ and Momo said it was, then there was no way Sousuke wouldn’t watch him walk away.

So, Aiichiro had taken his order as usual, but that time, he’d turned on his heel with an extra ‘ _mmph_ ’ and even hummed a little while doing his best to sashay away. He allowed a few moments to pass before he peeked over his shoulder, hoping to find intense teal eyes following his every step.

But those powerful, heavy depths did not follow him, _no,_ they had followed somebody else entirely. It was something that Aiichiro had never picked up on before, but it made sense to him all in that moment. He trailed Sousuke’s fierce stare all the way to… Rin.

At first, Aiichiro shared empathy for Sousuke, because he knew that look, he knew it all too well, but dangit, it irked him even more. Sousuke turned out to be the reason Aiichiro stopped fawning over the redhead, but now he had to see his new crush pine over his old crush? He tried to pass it off as a friend paying close mind to another, but Aiichiro wasn’t that naïve. He knew right there, in that moment, Sousuke was in love with his best friend.

The similarities between him and _whale_shark22_ were really piling up, and he didn’t know what to make of it.

“Dude! How did you not see that? It was right in front of you!” Momo cackled as he raced passed Aiichiro’s spinning cart, thanks to a banana peel.

After blinking a few times, he regained control of his cart and laughed at himself for being so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn’t see what was right in front him.

What was he thinking about again? Oh right, Sousuke being in love with Rin and consistently leaving the teashop in a foul mood because of it.

Azure eyes widened- _Oh my god._ Time slowed to a standstill as the beating of his heart pounded ferociously in his ears. All his movements ceased, but his mind ran wildly, confirming every coincidence to be _truth._  

It all clicked together in that instant from the username right down to the frequent irritability. His mind flashed through the similarities again, and again. Even the days both males were grouchy were the same, because they were the _same person_.

_Sousuke is Whale Shark._

The controller slipped from his grip, clattering to the floor and unfortunately reminding him he wasn’t alone in his sudden moment of awareness.

“Ai-chan?”

His hand clutched his chest, willing his heart to steady as his eyes slammed shut. _Breathe. Just breathe, Aiichiro._ He reopened his lids with a fearful gaze and swallowed loudly.

“Ai-chan?” Momo said with more urgency.

“Y-yeah,” he croaked, clearing his throat, “I-I forgot that I, um-,” _Anything, just say something._ “I have a p-paper due at midnight!” Aiichiro spluttered, standing on his shaky legs and forcing them to _move_.

Momo slumped against the couch as he mumbled with apparent disappointment, “Oh, okay.”

“I’m sorry, Momo-kun, I’ll try and hurry!” The apology was weak and rushed as he stumbled along the hall, reaching his bedroom and slamming the door closed.

Aiichiro slid against the wood until his bottom reached the ground, cradling his head in his hands. The username was obvious enough, yet he overlooked it, passing it off as a simple similarity. _Whale_shark **22**_ … **_22_** … He racked his brain, screwing his face up in concentration and gripping silver locks tightly. The numbers on the end of Aiichiro’s username were for his birthday, but if he applied that to **_22_** , then he’d get… His stomach dropped.

_Rin’s birthday._

A mix between a frustrated growl and whine escaped his throat as he tried to regain his bearings. He sought to prove his naivety wrong time and time again, but this just proved he really was fucking naive. After opening his eyes to the possibility of Sousuke being his sugar daddy, no one would be able to convince him otherwise.

For the last three weeks, _whale_shark22_ texted him after every shift with practically the same message about how he had a bad day, or he needed his _baby_ to distract him. And on each of those days, Sousuke had spent putting himself in that bad mood because he forced himself to be around Rin!

“Why?” Aiichiro grieved aloud, knocking his head against the door and staring at the ceiling for an answer.

For three weeks, _three fucking weeks,_ he toyed with the idea that a ruggedly handsome man showed up for him and only him, and not because the man was looking for a diversion. Aiichiro was perfectly content with earning money as he provided his distraction for _whale_shark22_ , but for Sousuke? This whole time he’d spent thinking that maybe, just maybe, someone was actually pursuing him, and he’d be able to shed the weight of Rin. But no, the man who pursued him only did so because he, too, was trying to move on from Rin.  

The back of his head met the door over and over and over, trying to understand why Sousuke hadn’t told him. He laughed incredulously to himself, imagining Sousuke revealing himself with ridiculously smooth pickup lines that would only happen in a BL novel. Obviously that wasn’t even remotely plausible, but still, even if the conversation would have caused Aiichiro great distress, Sousuke should have told him. The raven had seen him naked and _then some_ , the least he could do was admit who he really was; it was the _right_ thing to do.

Now brought up the problem of how Aiichiro was going to approach Sousuke. Surely, he couldn’t admit to knowing right there in the middle of the teashop, but maybe he could shoot him a text beforehand, confirming that he isn’t just some wide-eyed ignorant boy. Or perhaps he could wait just a little while longer, allowing Sousuke an opportunity to confess. While shaking his head to decline those options, another idea popped in his head. Maybe he could keep the secret to himself and _mess_ with Sousuke. _No, no,_ he chuckled lightly to himself, _that’s a bit far._

Something in the back of his head fired back, _But is it?_ With how much _whale_shark22, Sousuke_ , his freaking _sugar daddy_ had seen of him and not said _anything,_ didn’t he deserve a little hell?

Smiling to himself, he whispered aloud, “Yes, he does.”

-x-

It took Aiichiro precisely two hours and thirty-seven minutes for him to leave the comfort of his bedroom and face his best friend. He was going to tell Momo everything, because he realized he needed his best friend’s guidance and he was tired of denying it. Plus, he hated how much lying he’d been doing; it wasn’t fair to Momo.

He turned the corner, readying himself for a simple, _Momo, I need to talk to you_ , but the ginger sat sullenly on the couch, lazily flipping through channels. It’s a heart wrenching sight, seeing someone who consistently has the brightest grin, sulking. Aiichiro cleared his throat to announce his arrival and offered an earnest apology for ditching him.

Somber gold depths acknowledged him. “It’s okay, no biggie,” Momo mumbled, returning his attention to the ever-changing channels.

Aiichiro sighed, entering the room as if he were walking on eggshells and kindly offered, “How about we order your favorite pizza and stay up all night?

The ginger lit up with delight and a vigorous nod before his features fell once again.

“Oh, come on, Momo-kun,” Aiichiro pleaded, reaching the couch and sitting down to face the ginger, “I said I was sorry for running off.”  

“It’s not that…” Momo muted the TV, setting down the remote, “I was just wondering if Gou-san could ever _like_ me… or anyone for that matter.”

“Oh!” Aiichiro squeaked, startled by the ginger’s apparent uncertainty. “I-um, well, of course-”

“‘Cause compared to Sei…”

It unsettled Aiichiro immensely seeing Momo with his head hung low and not meeting his gaze, saying something so blatantly _wrong_. Of course, Sei was a great and good-looking guy, but Momo was _Momo_ , and no one could get much better than him. He understood that his best friend needed encouragement, and a boost of confidence, much like Momo gave him when wearing something a little bit more risqué.

Tentatively, Aiichiro reached for his best friend’s hand, gently grasping it and waiting for Momo to meet his gaze. Subdued gold depths glanced from his tanned hand to the pale one holding it, then trailed all the way to crystal blue eyes.

“Yes, you are incredibly goofy and sometimes you do ridiculously weird things, but-” Aiichiro paused with a calming breath and spoke the next words as clearly as possible, “you are considerate, trustworthy, surprisingly perceptive, and…”

“ _And_?” Momo pressed.

Aiichiro let his eyes close for a moment, thinking of how to describe his best friend’s physical appearance. Momo was sun-kissed with faint freckles spotting his nose and shoulders with orange messy hair that somehow always fell perfectly, framing his face. His gold eyes shone brighter than any sun, and his smile illuminated any dark room. That’s why Aiichiro couldn’t stand to witness the slouched, defeated look of Momo now. It twisted his heart painfully, and he wished his words could wash away his friend’s pain. He reopened his eyes with clear focus, meeting Momo’s gaze once again, and affirmed with sincerity, “And _striking_ … Any girl, any _one_ would be lucky to have you, Momo-kun.”

The usual beam that calmed all of Aiichiro’s nerves returned, brightening the dim room once more. “Thanks, Ai-chan.” Momo removed his hand from Aiichiro’s grasp to fidget with his phone and pulled up their favorite pizza place. With his head still facing his phone, Momo side-glanced Aiichiro as his grin turned mischievous. “Any pizza I want?” He inquired, emphasizing every word with an ever-growing playful smirk.

“For the hundredth time, pineapple does _not_ belong on pizza,” Aiichiro answered incredulously with a shake of his head; his best friend was clearly over his random bout of gloom.

“Remember? I’m sad,” Momo faked a puppy dog pout and eyes.

“You are not.” Momo held the pout until Aiichiro broke with a huff of mild annoyance. “ _Fine._ ”

Momo grinned widely, tapping away at his phone before Aiichiro could change his mind. After ordering the pizza, the ginger faced him on the couch. “Hey, Ai?”

“Yes, Momo-kun?”

Gold locked on azure for a solid moment before Momo affirmed genuinely, “Anyone would be lucky to have you, too.”

Water slowly crept up to Aiichiro’s eyes as he remained quiet, unsure of what to say. Somehow, even though the conversation didn’t go where he planned, Momo knew the words to comfort him. Aiichiro knew he could make a good partner for someone someday. He’d care for them, ridding them of their worries. He’d love them passionately, supporting them in each endeavor no matter what. He’d enjoy the good times and laugh at the silly things… But getting someone to notice that about him was a lot harder than he’d thought it’d be. Which made hearing an affirmation from his closest friend all the more meaningful. He brushed a knuckle gently at the corner of his eye and conjured words from a tight throat. “Thank you.”

Momo nodded and quickly shoved the remote into Aiichiro’s hand, giving him a clear out from the tears still welling up. “You pick what we watch.”

Aiichiro gratefully accepted with a shaky smile, flipping through the channels and ignoring Momo’s inputs on each show. The night had been a complete roller coaster, and he knew when the morning came, he’d have to face reality. But for now, he’d relax with his best friend and enjoy the night of laughter and weird pizza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HE DID IT Y'ALL. HE FREAKING DID IT. LOOK AT OUR LITTLE DUCKLING FIGURE THINGS OUT. *claps like a proud mother* *wipes away a stray tear* He's grown so much. 
> 
> Y'all. There's an actual plot to this, so all the people who were hoping for just porn can just stop right now. I'VE. GOT. PLANS. But the people who like plot and porn... Well... soon, my lovelies... SOOOOOOOOOOON. ;)
> 
> Also, bear with me. I'm in the process of moving, so I will try to get out chapter 8 next week, but I can't promise anything.
> 
> Don't forget to leave a comment and/or kudos if you're enjoying this so far. <3


	8. Everybody's Watching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiichiro is ready to confront Sousuke- or is he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all don't have to read this, but I just wanted to say that I am truly amazed by the feedback I'm getting on this. I'm so happy that y'all are enjoying it and sticking around for the ride. I'm SO close to 100 kudos, and this is the most bookmarked/subscribed story I have. <3 So, a HUGE THANK YOU! 
> 
> I do apologize for this being late. I moved last week and it's been a time that's for sure, but for the most part, I'm settled. I plan to get back on track. Anyway, thanks again. :)

The night with Momo had been a blessing even though Aiichiro hadn’t seized the opportunity to confess his secret _occupation_. Now, two days later, Aiichiro was struggling to contain his jitters on his journey to work. Yesterday the exchanges with _whale_shark22 –_ Sousuke – were _exhilarating._ The man had practically been spying on him this entire time, watching Aiichiro while knowing the lewd things he’d do for him, and now, Aiichiro _knew._ The ball was in his court ready to go, all Aiichiro had to do was shoot.

He didn’t know _exactly_ what to do, but he planned on starting out with something simple- wearing all of Sousuke’s favorite pieces. Sure, he’d already worn the gifts plenty of times, but had he worn his choker, rings, _and_ his duck watch at the same time? No, he hadn’t, and he’d decided that was a good place to start.

So, he strolled through _Sweet Sweet Sakura Tea’s_ entrance, ready to flaunt the silver choker and matching rings as he held his head high. He practically buzzed with excitement and anticipation as he tied the apron around his waist, flattening out any creases. As he turned to clock in, he overheard voices from just beyond the kitchen door. Casually leaning in, Aiichiro perked his ear up and listened, wondering if Rin and Gou were arguing.

“I thought you were going to tell him!” Gou exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

“He beat me to it!” Rin harshly gritted back.

Gou scoffed. “I knew you didn’t have it in you.” Aiichiro could tell she was trying to hold in a chuckle.

“Hey! That’s not fair, besides that’s not important. The important thing is that we’re dating.”

Aiichiro leaned in closer with a breath caught in his throat.

“I know, I know.” Gou paused then cheerfully affirmed, “I’m happy for you and Haruka.”

Stumbling backwards, Aiichiro gripped onto the counter to stabilize himself. Did he hear that correctly? Were Rin and Haru officially an item? The fact that they were together wasn’t a surprise, but overhearing it when he wasn’t supposed to _was._ Truly, he thought eavesdropping on them would be harmless, like it usually was, he had no idea they’d drop a bomb.

He thought Rin being officially off the market would hurt him more than it did, but rather, he felt genuine happiness for the redhead. Aiichiro knew Rin had been admiring Haru for quite some time- not as long as Aiichiro admired Rin, though… or so he thought.

Unfortunately, there was someone who’d be crushed with the news, and Aiichiro assumed Sousuke didn’t know the siblings were whispering about it. Approaching the raven seemed a lot scarier now than it did ten minutes ago.

As _duckling_14,_ it was his job to distract his sugar daddy from the pain caused by unrequited love, but as Aiichiro, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. He hoped one day Sousuke would move on from Rin like he had, and maybe they could possibly become a legitimate item.  Although, the idea seemed farfetched because of how their relationship began in the first place.

Perhaps Sousuke already knew though, and the relationship was only hush-hush to the public eye. In fact, it’d make more sense for Sousuke to know because of how close he is to the Matsuoka family. Regardless if the raven knew, Aiichiro decided to keep it to himself until _everything_ was revealed from Sousuke’s end.

Aiichiro hurriedly punched in the clock and rushed away from the kitchen, only to be affronted by his favorite officer that he’d just been worrying about, sitting at his usual table. The confidence that had already diminished since discovering the _secret relationship_ vanished completely at the sight. Aiichiro scanned Sousuke’s face for an ounce of hurt to answer the silent questions, but was met with impassiveness and the infamous brooding gaze. Of course today had to be the day where the stare followed him and not the redhead. Ambling forward, Aiichiro swallowed the hard lump in his throat and prayed for his assurance to return.

Suddenly, Nagisa stepped in his path, catching Aiichiro off guard with his bright smile. “I’ll take care of Sou-chan today!”

His beaming face caused Aiichiro to falter a bit as he barely stuttered a protest. Nagisa waved him off before letting him get out a proper reply.

“Someone is asking for you over there,” Nagisa thumbed over his shoulder. “I didn’t know you had admirers, Ai-chan!” He playfully pushed Aiichiro’s shoulder and turned, bouncing towards Sousuke, who looked rather shocked when the blond approached the table.

Aiichiro casted a sympathetic glance in the raven’s direction, then let his eyes skim the area for the person who’d requested him. No one had ever asked for him before, so it was a little surprising and nerve-racking for him. He laughed to himself quietly as he imagined discovering Momo chilling in one of the teashop chairs, looking entirely out of place, but he’d never have such luck. His luck seemed to just plummet the longer he walked the earth, and the only other person in the café was…

The cotton candy prince.

The moment he locked eyes with Kisumi- the famous, irresistible, _incredible K-i-s-u-m-i_ – he forgot how his legs worked and was convinced his eyes were playing a trick on him. He blinked several times, and even rubbed his eyes for good measure, but still, there Kisumi sat, matching the café perfectly with his halo of soft pink curls. How on earth was Aiichiro going to just walk up to his favorite porn blogger and casually say, “Hi, I’m Aiichiro, how may I serve you?” Then again, Kisumi _asked_ for him. _Oh-my-god…_ Kisumi asked for him… _Why_?

Kisumi noticed Aiichiro’s stillness and encouraged him with one finger in a ‘come hither’ motion.

Beads of a nervous sweat trailed the back of his neck as he clambered forward. As much as he wanted to look away from the playful smirk and gleaming amethyst eyes to find a safe spot on the ground, he couldn’t. Every bit of Kisumi was calling to him, and his limbs felt fuzzy, like they were going to give out at any moment.

“ _Hello_ ,” he drew out with a purr, “Little duckling _fourteen_.”

Aiichiro frantically scanned around him to ensure that no one could hear them while silently scolding himself for using the same username on every platform. “H-how did you know?” He stuttered out in a small whisper.

“I take notice of all my proteges, especially the ones who copy every single picture I post,” Kisumi assured, looking him dead in the eyes.

His light nervous sweat had turned to a full-on downpour the longer he stared back at the man who knew exactly what he’d been doing all this time. However, that still didn’t explain how Kisumi knew it was him; Aiichiro had _never_ posted a face picture.

“Faceless pictures, anyway… It took me a while to find you,” Kisumi admitted.

“I-um,” Aiichiro half-chuckled, swallowing again even though there wasn’t any moisture left in his mouth, “Didn’t think you noticed me.”

Kisumi leaned in, his smirk growing wider, “You reblogged every single post, _darling_.”

Aiichiro tucked a loose hair behind his ear while he flushed profusely; he didn’t realize he’d been so obvious. But either way, that still didn’t answer his question on how Kisumi discovered him.

He bounced anxiously on his feet, teetering back and forth as he softly reverberated, “I never posted a picture of my face.”

Kisumi hummed, picking up the menu that Nagisa-kun must’ve given him upon his arrival and flipped it over, perusing the drinks with mild interest. “I’ve been watching you on Tumblr for awhile now, marking down any clues to who you were.” He suddenly stared up at Aiichiro again, passing him the menu. “Still, I happened upon you by chance.”

“C-chance?” Aiichiro gripped the menu, hoping it’d help keep him planted.

“Well, you posted a uniform picture, right? An original pose, might I add.”

 _Was that a compliment?_ Aiichiro wondered. He shook his head, telling himself not to get distracted and nodded, remembering the uniform picture he’d sent Sousuke (but with a cropped off head).

“Mhmm, then not too long after I discovered the cutest little café,” Kisumi gestured to the room around them, “And a worker just happened to step out in that _same_ uniform.”

“Not you, of course, my luck only extends so far,” Kisumi affirmed after Aiichiro paled at the thought of another person spying on him.

Aiichiro released a harsh breath as he pieced together the rest of how things played out, and the entire thing seemed unfathomable. His life started out as sitcom and somehow turned into an overcomplicated drama.

“I’ll take a cup of your house tea,” Kisumi spoke again, not bothering to wait for Aiichiro to catch up.

The server stiffly nodded and whisked himself away, processing every bit of information that had just been revealed. Kisumi didn’t seem upset or angry with him for copying all of his pictures, honestly, he seemed _flattered,_ but that didn’t help settle his nerves.

He proceeded with preparing Kisumi’s drink while attempting to calm down his heartrate and shallow breath. His freaking idol was nonchalantly relaxing at his workplace, ordering a drink and acting like none of this was a big deal. _Oh my god,_ Aiichiro groaned aloud, _Kisumi’s seen me **naked.**_ A rock to crawl under would’ve been great, but Kisumi’s tea was ready to be served.

Maybe Aiichiro could segue the conversation elsewhere and avoid any further embarrassment- not that he was that smooth, but it was worth a shot. To his surprise, a revelation sparked in his mind while carrying Kisumi’s order- the king of online teasing would certainly have great advice on how to toy with someone.

After arriving and setting down the drink, he silently stood there, mustering up the courage to ask while Kisumi examined the delicate tea cup.   _Just say it,_ he scolded himself, _spit it out._

“Iwaswonderingifyoucouldgivemeadvice,” he rambled so quickly that he wasn’t sure a proper sentence came out.

Amusement lit up Kisumi’s eyes as a genuine chuckle fled his lips. “I caught one word of that, but I think it’s the one word that matters… On what?” He pressed, bringing the cup to his lips and tasting the tea. He hummed satisfactorily and sipped the tea again before setting it back down.

Aiichiro wiped his sweaty palms on his apron and released a shaky breath. “On how to t-toy with someone,” he whispered so quietly, he didn’t think Kisumi heard him.

“Sit, sit,” Kisumi ushered, pushing the chair across from him out with his foot.

Aiichiro glanced around, specifically keeping his sight away from Sousuke. No one else had arrived, but he shouldn’t be socializing at work even if the others did it. “I-I shouldn’t. I have work.”

“I’m better with giving advice in person. Besides, Nagisa-kun told me he’d cover for you for a little while.” Kisumi winked as Aiichiro sighed and accepted the chair. “That officer over there has been staring you down this entire conversation,” Kisumi noted while churning his teacup mindlessly.

Aiichiro watched the gentle swirling of the tea for a moment, telling himself to stay focused and not look Sousuke’s way, but his eyes slid that direction anyway.

Kisumi swiftly nudged Aiichiro under the table. “Don’t look at him,” he quietly commanded.

“W-why?”

“’Cause we’re gonna make him jealous since he’s clearly the one you’re asking about.” Kisumi took Aiichiro’s look of shock as confirmation. “Also, kudos for snagging a man in uniform,” he complimented.

Aiichiro flushed furiously, grabbing a silver tendril and twirling it nervously. “T-thanks,” he muttered, chewing on his lip.

“Keep doing that until I tell you stop,” Kisumi murmured as amethyst eyes flitted to the hair wrapping around Aiichiro’s finger. The cotton candy-haired vixen watched him intently behind heavy lids with his chin resting on his palm. “You’re _so_ cute,” he purred loud enough for Sousuke to hear causing the flush on Aiichiro’s face to spread like wildfire.

Kisumi slowly reached out, grasping Aiichiro’s working fingers gently and pulling them towards his mouth. “You know that’s a bad habit,” he drawled seductively. Aiichiro’s heart slammed in his chest as he watched Kisumi brush his pouted lips against his own pale knuckles.

The man he’d been admiring for far too long practically just kissed his hand! He bit his lip harder, trying to keep himself from screaming with joy. Honestly, for a moment, he’d forgotten this was all a ruse to toy with Sousuke, until a loud, screeching sound interrupted his momentary bliss.

Even though Kisumi tightly gripped his hand in protest, Aiichiro jerked his head towards the noise as the raven proceeded to scoot his chair against the wood. Anger brewed behind turquoise depths as Sousuke stood with force, not bothering to push the chair in. He casted one more disdainful glance in their direction and with heavy steps, walked right out the door.

Kisumi lounged against his chair with satisfaction and whistled deeply. “Oooo, someone’s got it bad.”

Aiichiro stared down the door, half-expecting Sousuke to walk back through it and for everything to go back to normal. He hoped Sousuke’s reaction in the future would only rev him on instead of knocking him down.

“Isn’t that what you want?” Kisumi inquired after a few moments of silence.

 _For Sousuke to want me? Yes. For Sousuke to be upset and storm out? No._ But that was just it, wasn’t it? The raven reacted to Aiichiro the way he often reacted after being around Rin. That had to stand for something, but all Aiichiro had wanted was to dish out what he felt Sousuke deserved. Instead, he sent him fleeing with the green-eyed monster riding his back. Aiichiro supposed he better get used to it since this was only the beginning.

“Yeah,” he finally concluded, barely meeting the unwavering amethyst depths.

 Kisumi hummed thoughtfully, clearly not truly believing Aiichiro, but continued away, “So about those tips…”

-x-

What Kisumi offered was a lot more than Aiichiro could handle, but it definitely got the wheels turning. His idol assured him that he’d be seeing frustrated reactions from the raven, but hopefully they’d turn into _sexually_ frustrated reactions. Aiichiro agreed he’d prefer that, so Kisumi proceeded with laying everything out on the table, and not once did he ask why Aiichiro wanted this. Although, he figured Kisumi was nosy enough that he’d eventually ask or just presume correctly.

Still, Aiichiro dwelled on hurting Sousuke while making the walk home, but wasn’t it all fair? The raven had practically watched him like a hawk over the last couple of months. He deserved a little hell, and Aiichiro would ease the grievance with _other_ things in the end. Well, depending on how long it takes Sousuke to catch on.

He almost considered confessing his situation to Momo again, but with the addition of Kisumi, Aiichiro doubted his best friend would believe him. As of late, nothing sounded real in his life, and he was kind of loving every minute of it. He no longer felt like a dull young adult just trudging through life. He finally saw himself as someone with a _life,_ and to think it all started because his parents cut him off.

After arriving at home and successfully evading Momo, Aiichiro flopped down on his bed and scrolled through his social media. Part of him expected to find Kisumi on his personal accounts, but unfortunately there weren’t any pending friend requests. However, a soft vibration in his hand sidetracked him from that thought.

 _Whale_shark22:_ Are you dating anyone?

A wide grin broke out on Aiichiro’s face as his assumptions and educated guesses were proven to be true once again. Oh yeah, he was ready to raise a little hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE BALL IS FUCKING MOVING I PROMISE. Please don't hate me for it taking so long! I'm working on Chapter 9 right away to make up for it. Don't forget to comment! :) I hope y'all enjoyed Kisumi... I know I enjoyed the little vixen. ;)
> 
> Edit: it's been posted for 9 hours and I'm basically chewing my nails down to nubs while waiting for my frequent commenters to comment lmao


	9. Boytoy Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ai takes control with Kisumi's guidance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 100+ kudos. Y'all, I am so fucking stoked. Seriously, thank you so much!

Aiichiro basically skipped to work, feeling the empowerment course through his veins. He’d practiced every maneuver, tone, and play on words Kisumi had taught him over the last few days while still managing to appease his sugar daddy. A goofy grin plastered his face ever since he’d responded to Sousuke’s question about his dating life. It hardly took him anytime at all to respond with- _My daddy is the only one I need._ That eight-word statement earned him an easy 5000 yen, clearly only because Sousuke was relieved Aiichiro and Kisumi were _not_ an item. Although, the thought of Sousuke thinking him and Kisumi were a legitimate couple flattered him beyond belief.

After clocking into work, he flitted around the café, taking people’s orders with a genuine smile and meeting every customer’s needs. A few stolen glances at the entrance told him Sousuke had yet to arrive, so he threw himself further into his job to distract himself. His higher than the clouds feeling remained even when his shift approached the last hour.

“You’re in a good mood today, Ai-chan,” Nagisa complimented as the crowd dwindled down to two customers.

Aiichiro offered him a grin in response and returned to cleaning up as much as he could so he didn’t have to stay too long after closing. The gentle chime of the door interrupted his process, and he snuck a peek at the entrance. Sousuke strolled in wearing regular clothes and sat at his usual table without observing his surroundings.

Nagisa reappeared at Aiichiro’s side and bumped their hips. “You can have him this time. I’m going to cash the other two out and head home to Rei-chan!” The blond skedaddled without waiting for a response and quickly helped the other two customers.

Now was the moment of truth. He’d rehearsed this moment multiple times, so all he had to do was execute it properly and make his mentor proud. Releasing a slow breath and straightening himself, Aiichiro sauntered towards the raven, tantalizingly slow just like Kisumi demonstrated to him. He caught the raven’s attention immediately and smiled to himself as teal depths scanned up and down his lithe frame.

He stepped closer to Sousuke, popping out a hip and braced himself to repeat the words aloud that had only been said in the safety of his bedroom. Kisumi prepared him for this- to consistently use a play on words to distract his _daddy_. Determined azure depths boldly met turquoise. “What can I-” His eyes grazed over the broad male, “Do for you?” A simple question with a double meaning was only the beginning of Aiichiro’s tricks.

A hint of shock passed over Sousuke’s face, then settled into typical impassiveness. “The usual.”

The server offered a soft smirk as his eyes dropped to a large tan hand on the table. _You can do it,_ Aiichiro encouraged himself, then lightly grazed the top of Sousuke’s hand with the tips of his fingers. “Coming right up,” he confirmed faintly, letting his fingers trail away and swiveling around promptly to hide his glee.

 _“After you touch him unexpectedly, he’ll have his eyes locked on you. So remember to walk the way I showed you.”_ Aiichiro recalled Kisumi’s words as he carefully stepped forward with his ass perked out and swayed all the way until he was out of sight.

He couldn’t stop his stupid grinning once he reached the security of the surprisingly empty kitchen. So far, things were going swimmingly, and he prayed he could keep it up. Honestly, he felt a little bummed not getting to see Sousuke’s face, but Kisumi had assured him the raven’s attention would reside solely on him.

As Aiichiro plated the dark chocolate truffles that Sousuke loved, he pulled another trick from his book and wrote _Whale Shark_ in chocolate sauce on the rim of the plate. He smiled deviously to himself at the handy work he’d done and with one deep breath, he strolled out of the kitchen and to the raven once more.

“What’d you do that for?” Sousuke eyed the writing incredulously after the server placed it in front of him.

Aiichiro shrugged nonchalantly. “I thought it’d be a nice touch since it’s your spirit animal.” He pouted his lips and blinked his wide eyes, “Don’t you like it, _Whale Shark?”_

For once, Sousuke looked absolutely astounded and Aiichiro seized his _win_ by walking away as if he didn't just blatantly call the raven by his alias.

The clouds beneath his feet lifted, raising him higher than any kite, and nothing could bring him down. Or so he assumed…

Just as he hid from view behind the counter, he overheard voices from the kitchen. Slight panic spread across his chest at the thought of Rin being at the cafe when he knew rationally he was with Haru today. Aiichiro inched closer and quickly debunked his irrational fear as two female voices talked back and forth, soft and subdued.

 _I shouldn't listen_ , he silently told himself while pressing his ear to the door.

And he really shouldn't have.

Backing away slowly, he met the counter and relaxed against it for a little while, processing what he overheard. Apparently, his senpai wasn't the only one taken off the market- Gou and Sei had started dating. He should've picked up on it after seeing Gou-san sneak into Rin's birthday party, chatting up a storm with the older Mikoshiba brother.

“Momo-kun,” he whispered to himself sullenly. His heart sank for his best friend; they'd just talked about this earlier in the week. Aiichiro still meant everything he’d said and would stand by his words, but he knew Momo would think of this as a loss to Sei.

Although his discovery was worrisome, Aiichiro couldn’t fret about his best friend right now, because he’d already begun the process with Sousuke and he was _nailing_ it. He heaved a sigh, placing the information in the back of his mind and proceeded with his task. Besides, he had an ace up his sleeve and he wanted to use it before the evening was over.

Of course, this was all a part of the plan- drive Sousuke _freaking_ nuts. The whole scenario was blatantly obvious; Aiichiro was practically begging for attention, and if everything played out correctly, he’d have Sousuke exactly where he wanted him.

Finally, after more arching and reaching than necessary, Aiichiro approached Sousuke’s table, holding out the black billfold. Without saying a word, the raven slid his wallet out from his back jean pocket and whipped out his credit card.

“Be back in a sec,” Aiichiro grabbed the card, “I know you don’t like waiting long… for me.” He all but whispered the last two words, turning on his heels with satisfaction.

He still had an ace up his sleeve, pleading for its big reveal, so he rushed through the payment process and arrived at the raven’s table once more.

Aiichiro slipped the billfold on the table with practiced ease. “Have a good evening,” he prompted, but didn’t move from his spot. Instead, the server leaned in with control, allowing for a blatant shot down his shirt to reveal his ace.

Curiosity flashed across Sousuke’s face and he lowered his eyesight to view what Aiichiro was deliberately offering. A small bob of his Adam’s apple and sudden gap between his lips told Aiichiro that the raven liked what he saw.  Taking pride in that, Aiichiro dipped his shoulders so that the cool, metal harness ( _thank you, Kisumi)_ he wore beneath his uniform could not be mistaken; it pulled tightly against his pale chest and torso.

His inner fire ignited, and the flames guided his next move. With one delicate finger, Aiichiro tilted Sousuke's head up to regain eye contact. “I love it when people pay me for my services,” he purred, dragging the tip of his finger across the raven's stubble just like his mentor showed him, and strode away without looking back.  

By the time Aiichiro returned to the counter, Gou-san emerged from the kitchen to count the till since it was five minutes until closing. She noticed Sousuke immediately and briefly conversed with him while Aiichiro resumed his closing duties. He didn't dare look in their direction as he walked around each table checking for cleanliness.  

Shortly after, Sousuke bid a farewell to Gou, and the girl asked Aiichiro about his shift, apologizing for not being as present as she usually was. Time passed fairly quickly and soon he was stepping out into the crisp air, taking in a refreshing breath.

He strolled along the pavement feeling accomplished and proud, and maybe a tad horny. All the teasing he'd done with Sousuke really worked him up and he honestly hoped the raven would message him as soon as he got home. If he was going to pull out his toys anyway, he might as well get paid for it.

Rolling his shoulders back, he stood a little taller and faced forward, rather than trailing the ground like he normally does. When he surveyed his surroundings, he didn't expect to see a certain brooding raven-haired man lounging against a wall between buildings.

Aiichiro tilted his head to the sunset sky, thanking Kisumi for telling him that if everything went according to plan, Sousuke would be waiting for him. He remembered the brief argument he had with his mentor about this part of the plan, but Kisumi promised things would play out correctly. And by golly, he'd never doubt Kisumi again.

As Aiichiro closed the gap, he slowed his pace and mocked playfully, “Oh, so you do know how to wait patiently.” He had every intention to keep on walking all while silently praying for Sousuke to follow him, but the older male had clearly had enough, and took matters into his own hands.

Sousuke swiftly grabbed Aiichiro from the street, yanking him into the alleyway and pushing him up against the wall. He trapped him with his burly tan arms, looking down on him with the darkest gaze Aiichiro had ever seen. A sliver of teal rounded blown out pupils causing Aiichiro to suck in a harsh breath. He hadn’t realized just how _big_ Sousuke was until the raven was up in his personal space, almost towering over him

The predator hovered over his prey, deeply hissing, “What’s your fucking deal?”

Surprisingly, the words didn’t falter Aiichiro, because this was his time to shine; he blinked up dramatically at Sousuke with wide eyes and professed _innocently_ , “I’m just distracting my daddy like he asked me to.”

Seemingly onyx depths bore into azure; neither one of the males uttered a single word. Kisumi hadn’t informed Aiichiro what to do if it got this far, because the naive male swore that things would _not_ reach this point. He remained silent, wondering if the first person who spoke was declared the loser. This was Aiichiro’s battle to win; Sousuke had the upper hand for far too long, and he wanted to take control of the reigns.

The cogs turned in Sousuke’s mind, and Aiichiro found comfort in the fact that he wasn’t the only one caught off guard. Aiichiro already counted this stand off as a win for him, because never, had he seen Sousuke at such a loss for words.

A pleased smirk tugged at his lips at the mere thought before suddenly they were forcefully captured, flushing his head against the alley wall. It took everything in him not squeal from impact as Sousuke’s mouth worked over his.

Aiichiro’s mind caught up with the lips on his and eagerly kissed Sousuke back, meeting the desperate pace. The moment he reciprocated, a hungry tongue slipped its way in, claiming everything in its path. A soft mewl escaped Aiichiro’s throat as Sousuke pushed his body up against him, dropping his hand from the wall to thread silver hair. The raven’s deliciously hard abs flushed against his torso, pressing the chain into his skin, and the elation he felt from before amplified.

Aiichiro’s cock involuntarily twitched as Sousuke wound his fingers tightly; the kiss becoming even more brutal. Flames engulfed his body as the feeling of bliss overrode his senses. If the kiss didn’t cease soon, he knew he’d run out of breath but honestly, he didn’t care.

He’d never been kissed the way Sousuke was kissing him now- all hot, needy, and full of _want._  The image of him naked, preening under the larger male’s body flashed in his mind, begging to become reality. If things were to move along from this point, he needed to say something to get the ball rolling.

A gentle hand pushed Sousuke’s hard chest, stopping the earthshattering kiss. He heaved a few heavy breaths before finding his voice while Sousuke groaned at the sudden breakaway.

Releasing a breathy chuckle, Aiichiro scanned the raven’s face- his eyes were completely black now, and his lips were red and swollen. He couldn’t help but chew his own puffy lips at the sight and trailed his gaze to Sousuke’s.

“How much,” Aiichiro freed another shallow breath, “Do I get for that?”

Sousuke chuckled darkly, leaning in and propping himself up on the wall again. His body loomed over Aiichiro’s and he waited until their lips ghosted each other to profess, “That depends on how much more you’re willing to do.”

Aiichiro’s hardened member jumped excitedly as Sousuke’s warm voice turned his skin into gooseflesh. “Anything you want,” he paused, arching his back to graze his lips against the raven’s, “ _Daddy.”_

Sousuke aggressively forced himself off the wall, grabbing Aiichiro’s hand and tugging him along to what he presumed was the raven’s apartment. Exhilaration bubbled over in his stomach as Sousuke dragged him along, the feeling of pride for earning his daddy’s attention overwhelmed him. For once, his lust and affections were being reciprocated, and although Sousuke didn’t know it, tonight was the night Aiichiro would lose his virginity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, but at least you know what the next chapter will be about ;) Also, did you see?! I edited it to 16 chapters instead of 15...for reasons ;P  
> Thanks for hanging around and don't forget to drop a comment to let me know how you're feeling about this. <3 Looking forward to chatting with you lovely readers!


	10. Shattering His Innocence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ai willingly says goodbye to his remaining innocence.

Sousuke didn’t allow much time for Aiichiro to observe his surroundings as he ushered them into his one-bedroom apartment, tossing his keys onto the kitchen counter.

“Remember the safe word?” The raven asked as he continued to impatiently guide Aiichiro further into the apartment, heading straight to the bedroom.

“W-why?” The flustered male asked, trying not to trip over his own feet.

Sousuke briefly halted once crossing the threshold of his room, throwing a threatening look over his shoulder that said, ‘ _Don’t make me ask again._ ’

Aiichiro swallowed. “Waves,” he quietly assured.

A quick nod and a swift pull told Aiichiro his first time wasn’t going to be all rainbows and butterflies, and that thought excited him beyond belief.

 “Get on the bed,” Sousuke commanded darkly.

Of course he obliged, ready to accept whatever demand Sousuke gave and perform each of them perfectly. He’d played with his toys enough times to know what sex would feel like… or at least what it felt like to have something inside of him.

Kneeling on Sousuke’s plain black comforter, Aiichiro fiddled with the fingers in his lap. He thought of saying something, but expected the raven to instruct him once in the position he desired, and he was right.

“Take off your belt.” Aiichiro removed his belt while willing his hands to calm. Again, Sousuke gave another order after he finished. “Hands and knees,” the raven simply stated as if this were something he did on a regular basis.

The moment he assumed position, Sousuke ripped his khakis down to his thighs, revealing the underwear he’d forgotten he had on- tiny, bright blue boxer briefs patterned with yellow ducks.  “Fitting,” the raven chuckled darkly, running a single finger up the seam of his crack.

Every hair on Aiichiro’s body stood as he flushed from serious embarrassment, reminding him once again to always listen to Kisumi. If he had listened to his senpai, then he’d be in a pair of panties his _daddy_ had gifted him rather than his current child-like underwear.

Although, Sousuke didn’t seem to care as he rolled the boxers down slowly, revealing his pert, bare ass. “Even better in person,” the raven commended.  

Aiichiro chewed his lip, feeling overwhelmed with excitement because he finally heard Sousuke compliment him in person rather through a text. Although, a part of him wished it wasn’t one about his backside, but he wasn’t going to be too picky.

An abrupt slap to his ass had him yelping, and jerking his head towards the culprit. Shocked and confused orbs met sinister ones.

“Did I say you could turn around?” The raven’s deep voice shook him to his core, setting off goosebumps across every inch of his skin. Something about the daring look on Sousuke’s face sent the blood flow from one head to another; he never thought such an ominous stare could turn him on, but there he was, needing _more._

“Do you know why I’m doing this?”

Aiichiro _wrongly_ assumed the question was rhetorical and received another loud, stinging smack.  

“Answer me,” Sousuke clipped.

“N-no,” Aiichiro quivered as his shaky fingers gripped the comforter, bracing himself for impact. He let his head fall, trying to catch a glimpse between his legs to see the raven’s next move, but instead, his eyes were met with his almost fully erect member.  

“I’m punishing you for the tease you’ve been,” Sousuke admitted, sending a large hand down on his ass.

Silver locks flung backwards as the pain and pleasure seared his backside. His voice audibly cracked each time Sousuke’s hand made contact, but the raven didn’t seem to mind, so neither did he.

“Letting some other man kiss your hand,” Sousuke gritted again, not allowing anytime for recovery as he followed up his words with two swift slaps.

“Flirting directly in front of me,” he scoffed as if Aiichiro were a complete idiot to have done such a thing.  

_Slap, slap, slap, slap._ Two to each cheek, ensuring this lesson would stick and that he wouldn’t be able to sit down tomorrow without thinking of today.

“Flaunting yourself around the café when you know your ass belongs to me.” Sousuke claimed _‘his’_ ass with several strikes as Aiichiro moaned with each lash.  

 “Oh?” The raven questioned wickedly. “You like being spanked?”

Dropping to his forearms, Aiichiro shook his head in denial, but his leaking cock betrayed him and Sousuke took notice.

The raven reached between his legs, grasping Aiichiro’s cock firmly. “This says otherwise.”

He automatically arched into Sousuke’s touch, his ass rising higher in the air as he mewled unabashedly.

“You like that?” His daddy growled, lazily pulling at Aiichiro.

Hesitantly nodding, the silver-haired male refused to turn and face the man sending him into overdrive. He slammed his eyes shut, pressing his forehead down on the bed and relinquishing his body to the experienced hand that toyed with him.  His body shook from want and desire as the hand worked up and down, deliciously slow; the building feeling in his pit already forming.

Like most other things, Sousuke noticed and hastily released him, smacking him again and catching him completely off guard.

“AH!” Aiichiro moaned without restriction.

“God. You’re loud,” Sousuke approved while gently thumbing over Aiichiro’s sore backside. “And red,” he added with a devilish smile.

All the younger could think about was _finishing_ ; the overstimulation from his _daddy_ drove him crazy and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could last. He had to hold out though- to prove he could be the sugar baby Sousuke needed him to be.

The soft kisses to his inflamed cheeks were a nice surprise, and for a brief moment, he thought he imagined Sousuke’s tongue flick out across his warm skin. He’d gladly take thousands of spankings if it meant receiving tender kisses like this as well. He continued moaning into the mattress as the kisses trailed closer to his entrance, his cock twitching when he realized what was happening.   

“S-sousuke-kun,” he stuttered with lewd noises following.

The raven hummed, his tongue definitely darting out this time and swiping along Aiichiro’s crack. His ass eagerly pushed back, meeting Sousuke’s tongue again, right on his sweet spot. He’d never felt anything like it- the heated wetness lapping at him languidly as the ring of muscle willingly opened. He thought his body was on fire, and he all but screamed when the raven thrust his tongue inside. Again, he forced back, wishing for the tongue to somehow move deeper.

“I need to teach you how to stay still,” Sousuke growled, gripping Aiichiro’s thighs and forcefully stilling him as he continued the pleasurable torture.

Aiichiro willed his body to cease, but with each gloss over his opening, he crumbled. His body and mind succumbing to his daddy’s control as the hands on his thighs bit into his skin, sure to leave bruises. _Mark me, daddy,_ he blissfully thought to himself, wishing his voice would comply and say it directly to Sousuke.

His mouth formed the words, but no sound came forth, and suddenly the tongue was replaced by a thick finger, flushing his chest against the mattress. He’d forgotten about the harness under his button down until it dug into his skin, leaving its own imprint. He babbled incoherently as Sousuke curled his finger, hitting the spot Aiichiro never could reach.

The impatient raven forced another finger in, igniting the burn as he stretched Aiichiro out. He wanted to roll over and watch Sousuke finger-fuck him, but euphoria clouded his mind, making him forget all the things he wished to see during his first time. Not to mention, the two of them were far too clothed for his liking, but the fingers scissoring him worked hungrily for one thing and one thing alone, informing him there’d be no time for the removal of clothes.

A third, broad digit in him released the tears from the corners of his eyes as he cried out. The overwhelming, sweet burn caused his hips to drop, not able to hold himself up anymore, but the raven caught them with his free hand.

“No, you don’t,” Sousuke warned in his ear, pulling Aiichiro’s hips back where they were. “Hold on for a little while longer.”

Aiichiro managed to oblige as Sousuke released the arm around his waist, easing up on the three fingers prodding him. The weight on the bed shifted as the raven shuffled around with his free hand. In between Aiichiro’s harsh, shallow breaths, he swore he heard Sousuke’s fly zip down, followed by a soft pop of a lid. A sudden burst of energy ran through him when a ripped open square package landed next to him on the bed.

Suddenly, he felt empty; the gaping, needy hole begging for attention. He had no control over the soft cry that fled his throat from the unwelcomed vacancy. Strong hands forcefully raised his hips higher as Sousuke positioned himself behind him. Something slick grazed his hypersensitive spot, letting him know the raven was aligning himself for exactly what Aiichiro wanted.

He managed a deep breath before Sousuke thrust inside of him, filling the hole and _more._ The burning sensation engulfed him as he moaned louder than he ever had before, wounding the comforter tightly in his grasp.

“No one has ever taken me this well before,” the raven idly commented, wiggling his hips and testing the waters. Aiichiro cooed at the praise, priding himself for owning and using his different sized toys regularly.

The moment Sousuke slid back, Aiichiro forced all his weight down on his forearms, bracing himself for the slamming impact to come. He screamed incoherently as his daddy drove into him over and over; the hands on him only gripping tighter.

Animalistic grunting sounded from behind him, egging him on to meet each of Sousuke’s thrusts. He felt completely unhinged as the building sensation returned without even having to stimulate his cock. His lewd mewling hadn’t ceased; it only grew louder with every passing moment.

“Are you my slut, baby?” Sousuke growled, quickening his pace.

Aiichiro preened at the claim over him, forcing an answer out between his moans, “Y-yes.”

The raven’s harsh breathing invigorated, matching his sharp rhythm. “Yes, _what_? _”_ He barked.

“Yes- AH- DADDY!” He yelled, splattering his come all over Sousuke’s bed.

The last thing Aiichiro heard was a low, drawn out groan as Sousuke’s snapping slowed, coming down from his own climax. Then suddenly, the world went black.

-x-

Aiichiro woke to an unacquainted numbness on a recently acquainted bed. The realization of him passing out after losing his virginity suddenly caught up with him, jolting himself into an upright position. The room spun around him, leaving him disoriented, so the only thing he could do was lie back down.

He sighed aloud, evaluating his current predicament. He didn’t know whether to feel more embarrassed for passing out after sex or for Sousuke cleaning him up and readjusting his clothes. Both, he decided after freaking out over each. 

After willing himself to test his limbs once more, he hesitantly stood. He needed to face the raven now, before every ounce of courage drained out of him. They still had some things to discuss, and now Aiichiro had to add a ‘thank you’ to that list since the raven took care of him.

With one last exhale, Aiichiro opened the door to the living room and stepped out, immediately meeting Sousuke’s gaze. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the raven’s particular brooding, but instead, concern that etched those stunning turquoise orbs. “Hey,” Aiichiro managed weakly, feeling guilty for causing the raven to worry.

“We need to talk,” Sousuke spoke passively, patting the empty space next to him on the couch.

“H-hai.”

Aiichiro sat down next to him, gluing his eyes on his usual twiddling fingers. He tried not to panic at the thought of Sousuke calling this off because of the mishap. After a long stressful moment, the raven finally spoke.

“You need to build up your stamina if we’re going to continue this.”

Aiichiro jolted his head so fast that he wobbled in his seat, but he didn’t care. Hopeful, cerulean depths met Sousuke’s troubled face. “You mean we can still…?”

“Yeah,” the raven offered, his gaze trailing away to the window on the other side of him. “I just don’t want you passing out after.”

“I’m sorry, Sousuke-kun, it won’t happen again,” Aiichiro assured; he’d do anything in his power to avoid seeing the raven’s face like this. Although, the softness of his usually fierce features calmed him.

The raven huffed with a smirk. “Ai, we just fucked, you can leave it at Sousuke.”

“Right,” he chuckled nervously, “Sorry.”

Sousuke clicked his tongue in mild amusement, and Aiichiro used the pause to ask his question before the conversation could be navigated elsewhere.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

A soft ‘hmph’ sounded from the raven as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I was wondering when you were going to ask.”

Aiichiro straightened himself, clasping his hands and gingerly placing them on his lap. He readied himself for what he hoped would be a damn good explanation, because he deserved that much. His mind remembered every incident in which Sousuke could’ve came clean or even perhaps called it off, but instead the raven kept the secret to himself. Honestly, the thought of Sousuke knowing all that time still annoyed him, which is why he thought he deserved a decent answer… and the raven gave him one.

Sousuke explained that he never intended for their relationship to become physical. The whole purpose of the contract was to distract him from the one he was in love with. He thought he’d recognized Aiichiro from the first selfie that was sent to him, but he wasn’t sure until Ai had sent a photo in his uniform. At that point in time, the raven felt uncomfortable revealing this newfound information. So, he brushed it under the rug, because he thought he’d never have to face Aiichiro.

“Then we met at Rin’s birthday…” Aiichiro added to the sequence.

“Which wasn’t exactly the place to say, ‘Hey, I’m the one who pays you for favors’.”

Aiichiro shook his head, “No, but you still messed with me.”

“You can’t blame a guy for wanting to see what you were like in person.”

Of course, this flattered him, but Sousuke still had plenty of opportunities to confess. The raven must’ve caught onto his thought process because he added, “I came to the café the first time to tell you…”

“Then why didn’t you?” Aiichiro pressed.

“Don’t you remember?” Sousuke asked incredulously.

He thought back to the first time Sousuke strolled into the café, looking entirely out of place… _Oh._ “Rin,” he thought aloud.

“Exactly,” the raven confirmed. “Then I gave up, deciding it was better if I kept it to myself.” He paused, reflecting on the thoughts in his mind. “I didn’t expect you to figure it out so quickly. You’re a clever one, aren’t you?”

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere,” Aiichiro quipped timidly, even though flattery had definitely gotten Sousuke _somewhere._

The raven chuckled deeply, crinkling the corners of his eyes, “Whatever you say.”

Aiichiro’s gaze fell to Sousuke’s smile, expecting it to dazzle him, but it still lacked that luster he was looking for. One day, he’d get him to beam at him the way he did around the Matsuoka family, even though the smile he wore now still warmed him.

They conversed for a little while longer about their new relationship dynamic, and after settling on a price and schedule for the physical aspect of their contract, Aiichiro was on his way home. He chuckled to himself; he could handle a sore backside as long as he always left Sousuke’s apartment with 50,000 yen.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Hi, I am so sorry for the wait, but hopefully you'll think the smut was worth it. ;) 
> 
> There ya have it folks, the moment we've all been waiting for. So, where does it go from here? I guess you'll have to stay tuned in and find out. <3 
> 
> Don't forget to drop a comment and lemme know what y'all are thinking. XD Also, ONLY FIVE MORE CHAPTERS! I'm so happy with how this fic is doing and I wanted to say THANK YOU! Y'all encourage me to keep writing. <3


	11. An Unexpected Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momo grows suspicious of Ai's times with Sousuke.

“Going to Sou’s place again?” Momo questioned the moment Aiichiro stepped out from his bedroom.

His best friend had every right to ask because for the last week and a half, he’d spent almost all his evenings with the raven. These evenings he ‘ _worked’_ completely defeated the point of accepting this _‘job’_ in the first place, but he had a hard time turning Sousuke down. Not to mention, he’d been enjoying the extra attention, and the more they had their sessions, the more Aiichiro felt comfortable in his own skin.

“Mhmm, gotta eat first,” he waved Momo off; building his stamina was essential to his current _situation_ with the raven.

He moved about the kitchen, fully expecting his roommate to pester him further on the matter, but Momo kept his distance by remaining in the living room. Once Aiichiro began cooking, he thought surely the ginger would pop up, asking for food like he usually did. However, when he glanced back at him, Momo paid him no mind, and he couldn’t help but think that his best friend was being weird. Instead of exuberantly playing video games like normal, the ginger flipped through channels mindlessly, his face and actions unsettling Aiichiro.

When the silver-haired male thought back on the beginning of their friendship, it was mind-blowing just how much Momo had changed. He still remembered the younger harassing him profusely every day after school, shouting excitedly about different video games once Momo had discovered that they had similar interests.

Momo was overwhelming, to say the least, and had the attention span of a goldfish, but he had admiring traits as well. Clearly, he was relentless and always optimistic no matter how many times Aiichiro had evaded his invitations to come over. It’s not that the elder had disliked him, he just wanted to focus on his studies so that he could get out of their small town and attend university, but Momo had made him realize that he desired friends just as much. Still, it wasn’t until Momo had bought the newest gaming console and games that Aiichiro finally accepted his request to hang out, and now, he couldn’t imagine life without the rambunctious ginger.   

Aiichiro couldn’t exactly pinpoint the moment when Momo began his transformation but over time, his best friend had evolved. While the ginger drastically matured in appearance, he aged emotionally as well. Aiichiro supposed it was bound to happen, but still, it took him by surprise.

Momo became the first person to know when something was bothering him. Sometimes, the ginger voiced, ‘ _What’s wrong?’_ a little too loudly in public places, but Aiichiro appreciated it all the same.  His best friend cared about him and always supported him no matter what.

Near the end of Aiichiro’s first year of college and after living with one terrible roommate, he decided to move out into his very first apartment. His parents had agreed to help him with the rent since they wanted him out of the dorms, but it was Momo who had suggested they live together. His best friend had pitched the idea after seeking guidance from Sei and offered to apartment hunt while Aiichiro focused on his final exams.

Momo had found their current humble abode and helped him move everything over from the university. He’d insisted that Aiichiro have the bigger bedroom since the older male’s study habits were more diligent. Although, they still split the price right down the middle, because Momo knew Aiichiro would’ve done the same for him. Naturally, the ginger was still his high-energy, bubbly self, but along the way, he grew into a perceptive and thoughtful _man._

Therefore, every time Aiichiro saw this face – somber and conflicted, he worried, because it usually meant something was bothering Momo _deeply_. He always bore a joyful grin and wide eyes, but lately, he seemed to have lost his spunk, and Aiichiro didn’t know what to do.

After plating his food and taking a seat at the table, he continued to observe his best friend. Now that he thought about, the ginger’s face resembled the one he had not too long ago when he shared his insecurities with Aiichiro. The elder wondered if this was about Gou-kun, again, but then something in Momo’s face changed.

A small furrow between Momo’s brows deepened as he pulled his bottom lip between teeth, chewing on it in apparent contemplation. Aiichiro thought his best friend looked out of place, and considered commenting on it when suddenly, worried, gold orbs flashed in his direction. Aiichiro almost choked on his food, wondering if Momo could somehow hear his thoughts.

His best friend kept the eye contact and stood, walking towards the table as his worrisome features eased into mild amusement. “What are you staring at?” He asked with a low, sing-song voice.

“You look worried,” Aiichiro commented truthfully, staring down at his food as the seat across from him skidded across the floor.

Momo sat, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck and admitted, “Caught me.”

Aiichiro snapped his head up. “What’s wrong?” He quipped. “Is this about your girl troubles again?”

“No,” the ginger denied defensively as his eyes slowly settled into a glare. “It’s about you.”

 _Me?_ Aiichiro desperately racked his brain for a reason why he’d cause his best friend to worry, but nothing came to mind. “What about me?” He pressed.

Momo huffed and slumped into his seat, drumming his fingers anxiously on the table. They sat in silence for far too many beats until the ginger leaned forward in his chair. “What are you doing with Sousuke?”

 _Oh._ Aiichiro’s shoulders shrunk as he rested against the chair, feeling guilty for not confessing about the raven sooner. However, every time he decided to tell him, something came up, so it wasn’t entirely his fault.  

“U-um,” Aiichiro began, unsure of how to word things. Explaining Sousuke was his sugar daddy seemed a little complex, plus he didn’t want to admit his financial predicament. _Friends with benefits? No, that wasn’t right…_ “We’re – uh,” he started again, his mouth stalling while he tried to think of a way out of this.

“You two are what?” Momo pushed, wanting Aiichiro to spit it out already.

The older male sunk further into his seat, tapping his fingers together nervously in his lap. _Just say something simple_ , he coaxed himself before finally stammering, “H-hooking u-up.”

“I knew it,” Momo mumbled under his breath. He sighed while he stood, rubbing his palms firmly down his thighs. “You’re going to get hurt, Ai.”

Aiichiro met his friend’s concerned gaze, feeling the urge to defend himself rise. “What? No, I won’t.”

“Are you dating?” Momo prompted, accusatorially crossing his arms across his chest. Aiichiro wondered what had gotten into him; this reproachful man wasn’t like Momo at all.

“No, bu-”

Momo interjected, “Friends with benefits never work out.”

“W-we’re not friends wi-”

“Then what are you?”

Aiichiro curled his fingers into a tight fist, growing increasingly frustrated the more Momo cut him off. “I-I don’t know how to explain it.”

Momo didn’t skip a beat, spouting questions the second Aiichiro answered them. “Are you hooking up?” The silver-haired male could’ve swore if Momo had a lamp, he’d be shining it directly in his face.

“You already know the answer.”

“Do you call each other partners?”

“N-no.”

“Then you’re friends with benefits,” Momo deduced matter-of-factly.

Aiichiro stood forcefully from his seat, accidently causing the chair to fall backwards. He slammed his eyes shut tightly, pounding his small fists on the table and proclaimed, “He’s my sugar daddy!”

Neither one of them said anything; they stood, stubbornly, in their tense silence, both fuming from the heated discussion. Aiichiro’s chest rose and fell erratically as he tried to gain his bearings and understand what was going on. Momo refused to let him explain, pushing him to this point, and for what reason? He didn’t want to confess to his best friend this way, but Momo gave him no choice.

He released an audible, slow breath. “I wanted to tell you, but things just kept coming up…” Aiichiro trailed off, opening his eyes to face his best friend.

Momo hadn’t moved from his spot, but his gaze had shifted to the floor. The arms across his chest looked more like they were holding himself than accusing him like before. Still, he did not say anything, so Aiichiro answered the questions he guessed were swarming Momo’s mind.

Aiichiro admitted everything- his parents cutting him off, the app he’d found, why he’d been locked up in his room more frequently, how he’d gotten over Rin, his meeting with Kisumi, when he’d figured who Sousuke was, _everything_. Still, Momo didn’t budge an inch.

“Say something,” Aiichiro whispered urgently; the silent treatment had gone on for far too long.

Momo shook his wild locks, releasing a small huff. “You gave your virginity away to someone who is _literally_ using you.” Raising his head, the gold depths boldly met azure.

Aiichiro’s mouth fell agape as he stared back at his best friend in utter shock. He had wanted to give Sousuke his virginity; he’d come to grips with that fairly quickly, and honestly, he didn’t think it would matter. So, why when Momo voiced it like that, did he suddenly feel ashamed?

“Do you have feelings for him?”

 _Yes,_ Aiichiro immediately answered in his head. Well, he’d at least grown to like the raven, and being intimate with someone conjured up different feelings inside of him. He’d never really bothered analyzing just quite what he felt for Sousuke. All he knew was that he had a soft spot for him, and he enjoyed their physical relationship.

“I don’t know,” he answered, nervous to admit that he just might.

Momo let his arms fall to his side, “You’re lying. Why do you keep lying to me?” The pain behind his voice couldn’t be mistaken.

“I’m sorry, Momo-kun,” Aiichiro apologized delicately, feeling the guilt churn in his stomach. He didn’t mean to lie, at least not for so long.

“I don’t want to see you get hurt, Ai,” Momo almost stepped forward in Aiichiro’s direction, but decided against it at the last moment.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Aiichiro stated firmly in hopes of calming his best friend’s woes. He cautiously stepped forward and approached Momo, offering him a gentle, reassuring squeeze on his forearm. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you?” Gold flashed down to azure, his concern consuming his features all over again. The sight wounded Aiichiro.

“I think so,” he admitted, releasing his grip. “I’ll start telling you things again.”

Momo pouted, breaking the gaze. “Fine.” He crossed his arms across his chest once more, resembling a small child who didn’t get their way. “But I don’t trust him, and I think this all a bad idea.”

Aiichiro chuckled faintly, happy to see the familiar Momo he knew. “Alright,” he acknowledged and then looked back at his half uneaten meal and the forgotten chair. “I’m going to clean this all up and head out.”

The ginger huffed, showing his disapproval, but didn’t comment any further. Instead, he shuffled back towards the couch, firing up his gaming console.

Aiichiro quickly tidied himself and the mess up, not wanting to push back his meeting with the raven any further. He’d apologize to Sousuke for being late when he got there and make up for it with his… _charm_.

The moment he reached the door, he opened his mouth to offer a brief goodbye, but Momo spoke first.

“You deserve better.”

Without a word, Aiichiro swung the door open and left in haste. He didn’t want to hear it- not Momo’s disapproval nor anyone’s opinion on his predicament. Besides, didn’t Aiichiro _deserve_ an extremely attractive, career man that gives him attention? What exactly did Momo mean by _better?_ Not to mention, Aiichiro was receiving _money_ for his fun times, what could possibly be better than that? Momo wasn’t even _experienced_ , so he couldn’t possibly understand any of this.

As Aiichiro approached the raven’s apartment, he discarded Momo’s words momentarily and calmed himself with slow breaths. He raised a steady hand and knocked playfully on Sousuke’s door. He’d prove his best friend’s concerns wrong; Aiichiro had zero intentions of getting hurt. This arrangement he had going with Sousuke didn’t need an explanation, at least not now anyway.  

The door opened like it had in all the other visits- leisurely with a low _creak_. It revealed a man, like it did every time, in casual jeans and a t-shirt with storm clouds brewing behind pools of turquoise. The large man stepped aside (his typical idea of a greeting), and Aiichiro accepted by entering and waiting for a further command.

The moment they were shut off from the world, the man in charge faced his _baby_ and commented darkly, “You’re late.”

Aiichiro expected this, dropping to his knees with ease and trailing his nimble fingers up Sousuke’s thigh. “Let me make it up to you.”

Sousuke growled, thrusting his thick fingers through silver locks and eyeing him devilishly, “I want to gag you.”

The _baby_ made a show of licking his lips as he skillfully undid the raven’s pants. “As you wish,” he leaned in, his breath hovering Sousuke’s clothed erection, “ _Daddy._ ”

“God, fucking slut,” the raven breathed, grasping Aiichiro’s hair tighter with one hand and pulling out his massive cock with the other. “Think you can handle that?” Sousuke asked, popping his dick against Aiichiro’s cheek.

Determined, azure depths met Sousuke’s dark, desired-filled orbs. “I can handle anything,” Aiichiro confidently proclaimed, not only answering the raven, but his best friend as well. Self-assurance coursed through him and he refused to let go of this newfound strength. He’d prove to Sousuke _and_ Momo that he could handle anything that came his way.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me actually being on time with this chapter :D Anyway, only FIVE chapters left! I am so excited y'all and hope you guys are too. I'm always happy to read your thoughts on each chapter and talk with you, so feel free to talk to me. :P 
> 
>  
> 
> Also, JxMercer13, CatwalkGray, Vantastic09, and PinkPhoenix, are y'all still keeping up with this? I miss y'all's comments. <3


	12. Denial or Uncertainty?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiichiro is thinking, overthinking, 'cause there's just too many scenarios to analyze.

Unfortunately, Momo’s words had infected his mind, and no matter how many times he tried to validate his own feelings, he couldn’t escape ‘ _You deserve better’_ or ‘ _You’re going to get hurt’_. Sousuke had become a constant in his life, and if Momo would listen, Aiichiro discussed his current _relationship_ with him. Although, his best friend had continued to express his doubts which confused him greatly, because he thought Momo wanted to hear about these things, and he expected support like he'd always been given. However, the ginger had voiced his opinions, making it perfectly clear he didn’t actually want to know anything about Sousuke, and why Aiichiro was pondering this while _distracting_ his _daddy_ was beyond him.

“AH!” He yelled out, the raven reminding him exactly where he was.

Sousuke snapped his hips relentlessly, causing the handcuffs around Aiichiro’s wrists to cling against the bed frame. Burly hands gripped his lithe hips with force, ensuring more marks along his porcelain skin… another thing Momo had voiced his disapproval of.

Aiichiro kept his knees planted firmly in the mattress, accepting every thrust and holding his ground. Each time he pushed himself back, meeting Sousuke’s rhythm, he swore he saw stars. The cock inside of him hitting his sweetest, deepest spot over and over, momentarily distracting him from his internal conflict.

“Please,” he found himself begging for release as Sousuke continued his fervent drive.

The raven dropped one of his hands, trailing it down the front of Aiichiro’s thigh, “Please, _what?”_

“P-please - AH - Daddy!” He mewled, earning a lewd growl from behind him.

The hand traveled deliciously slow in between his legs and up his inner thighs, just barely tickling his sensitive skin. During his experiences with Sousuke, he'd learned where his most tender spots were on his body- just behind the ears, his collarbones, and his inner thighs.

He writhed beneath the teasing hand that inched towards his leaking cock. He just needed release from the buzz pulsing through his body. The raven grabbed his inner thigh aggressively, causing Aiichiro to cry out in agonizing pleasure.

“Always so responsive,” Sousuke praised with a deep tone that tickled the younger’s ears. The raven viciously squeezed again, enjoying the obscene sounds coming from the smaller male, and moved his other hand from the delicate hip to Aiichiro’s plump thigh.

The _baby_ ’s thighs had become Sousuke’s new reigns, gripping them harder than he ever had before as Aiichiro screamed out, ready to orgasm without any stimulation to his throbbing member.

“M-more,” he croaked, the warm sensation creeping up and carrying him to oblivion.

Sousuke answered his desperate plea, snapping in an unabashed, rapid rhythm while Aiichiro chanted _‘Daddy’,_ like he didn’t know any other word. One last squeeze sent him unraveling all over the raven’s bed with Sousuke grunting behind him as he reached his own climax.

Aiichiro collapsed from pure bliss and exertion as the raven slowed his thrusts to a halt and slid out of him. He winced at the sudden emptiness, pulling himself up with the chain from the handcuffs as Sousuke rolled off the condom.  The raven quickly slid his jeans back up and released Aiichiro from the handcuffs.   

“You’re lasting longer,” Sousuke commented idly, lounging casually on an unmarked spot on the bed.

Aiichiro hummed, gently rubbing circles onto each wrist to soothe the new marks as he sat in a kneeling position. He faced the raven, cocking his head to one shoulder, “Is that a compliment?”

The raven chuckled faintly, “Just an observation really.” He reached towards the floor and lifted Aiichiro’s jeans, immediately handing them back to their owner.

“Mmph,” Aiichiro responded, grabbing his jeans and readjusting his clothes. Although his mind was fogged with post bliss, he couldn’t help but wonder, _is that what Momo meant by better?_ Someone to willingly compliment him out loud, rather than pass it off as a simple comment. He inwardly groaned, _Stop overthinking, Aichiiro!_ They weren’t boyfriends, therefore Sousuke didn’t need to give him praise. He was just Sousuke’s sugar baby, which meant doing the things his _daddy_ requested of him.

“You went harder than normal,” Aiichiro noted.

“Is that a compliment?” The raven mocked.

Aiichiro smirked, “Just an observation, really.” See, he could do this. He could tease and act playful after sex without expecting a man to get down on one knee.

Sousuke smirk faded into his usual impassiveness. “I saw Rin today.”

“Ah,” _So, he took his pent-up aggression out on me._ “What happened?”

The raven sighed, explaining his day with Rin. It went how it always did when the two of them were together- they joked, shared some laughs, relaxed and played video games, but then the redhead did what he always does, mention Haru.

Sousuke knew nothing about Rin and Haruka being an item, and unlike Aiichirio, he didn’t even acknowledge that the redhead had a blatant thing for the interior designer with the cool, blue eyes. Even though Aiichiro pined after Rin longer than necessary, he had suspicions about his senpai’s feelings towards Haru. Sousuke on the other hand, tried to play it off like it was nothing, yet it always managed to rile him up.

“I just don’t get why he wants to be friends with that guy,” Sousuke said bitterly, continuing his verbal distaste for Haru.

Aiichiro wondered if he should tell the raven about overhearing the Matsuoka siblings. Then perhaps Sousuke would move on and forget about trying to go after his best friend. The raven always said he had no intention of confessing his feelings to Rin because he didn’t want to ruin their friendship, so maybe Aiichiro should inform him…

“Sousuke,” Aiichiro butted-in, trying to calm the panic in his voice. He could empathize with Sousuke on this, as he once felt this way towards the redhead, but things had changed and he moved on. Surprisingly thanks to the man sitting before him.

“What?” The raven turned to him, a glimmer of curiosity shimmering in his turquoise eyes.  

“R-rin,” he cleared his throat, looking away from Sousuke and spoke calmly, “Rin and Haruka-senpai are _together_.”

Sousuke said nothing, but out of Aiichiro’s peripheral, he could see brute, tan fingers curl against his thighs. Then, the raven shook his head, as if Aiichiro were lying to him, and the younger decided to clear things up with a further explanation.

“I overheard him tell Gou-san at the café… they’ve been together for a few weeks,” Aiichiro gently and concisely confirmed.

“Get out,” Sousuke hoarsely ordered.

Aiichiro snapped his attention to the raven, who was now standing. “What?” He squeaked, his chest suddenly constricting.

“Get. Out.” Sousuke demanded again, looking Aiichiro dead in the eyes to show the seriousness of his words.

He broke away from the raven’s intense and threatening gaze as he scrambled off the bed. His pace quickened while escaping the storm in the bedroom to shuffle on his shoes and _get out._ Sousuke didn’t bother following him; he remained fuming in the bedroom, signaling Aiichiro to leave without another word.

“I’m sorry, Sousuke-kun,” he murmured weakly as he exited the raven’s apartment, knowing his apology went unheard.

Aiichiro stalled in the hallway, giving Sousuke an opportunity to come and chase him, but a deafening bang on the other side of the wall sent him fleeing. He didn’t want to stick around while the raven unleashed his temper.

He knew Sousuke was hurting, but he thought it’d better to tell him instead of waiting on Rin. Part of him didn’t want the raven to continuously pine over a man he could never have because Sousuke reminded him of himself. And the other part… well, was for a selfish reason.

Aiichiro thought _maybe, just maybe_ if he removed Rin from the equation, Sousuke would focus on a relationship with him. He didn’t know if that’s exactly what he wanted, but he thought it was worth a shot. Though, perhaps Momo was right… _No!_ Aiichiro refused to accept that. He wasn’t hurt, disappointed maybe, but not hurt, which meant he could still handle this.

Sousuke showed jealousy over Aiichiro repeatedly; that had to stand for something. Unless, it was the typical behavior of a grade-schooler and Sousuke merely thought, _‘No one can play with MY toy’._ Aiichiro frowned at that, redirecting his frustration towards Momo. If his best friend had never said anything, he’d be perfectly fine with how things were going with Sousuke.

 _That’s it!_ Aiichiro stomped his feet against the sidewalk, quickening his pace towards his apartment. _I’m going to give Momo a piece of my mind!_

He marched his tiny, furious body all the way home, ready to lay out everything to Momo. The ginger’s opinions had seeped into Aiichiro’s mind and relationship, affecting his own feelings towards the raven and suddenly making him question things. He didn’t like it, and he was going to tell Momo that he didn’t like it!  

He flew open the doors to their building, stomped up the stairs to the second floor, and jammed his key into their lock. _Don’t back down, Aiichiro,_ he fired himself up, flinging the door open wide. “Momo-kun,” he huffed, spotting the ginger sitting on the couch wrapped in a comforter.

Aiichiro blinked a few times, reevaluating the scene in front of him. Junk food littered the coffee table along with a few empty ciders, and Momo stared at the TV in a daze. He didn’t even notice that Aiichiro had come home or said his name.

The older male took another step forward, his heart rate steadying as his frustration morphed into concern. “Momo-kun,” he repeated softer this time, closing the gap between them.

Momo turned to him with wide, somber depths and a small pout. “Sei called,” he said, trailing his gaze back to _Fast and Furious_ , “He’s…”

 _Dating Gou-san,_ Aiichiro finished in his head; he’d completely forgotten about Gou and Sei dating until this very moment. He cautiously sat down next to Momo, sweetly patting his back and waiting until his friend was ready to say it.

After a few passing minutes of just the sound of cars racing on the TV, Momo finally spoke. “He’s dating Gou,” he affirmed sullenly. “They’ve been dating for a while.”

Aiichiro sighed, letting go of the aggression he felt towards his best friend just moments ago. “I’m sorry, Momo-kun,” he apologized truthfully, circling his palm on the blanket covering his friend’s back.

The ginger continued staring straight ahead as he confided in Aiichiro with everything he was feeling. Momo disclosed that he’d moved on from Gou when he realized they’d never be more than friends, but he had never anticipated that she’d date Sei.

Aiichiro came to find out that the two had been dating since Rin's birthday, suddenly understanding why everything happened the way it did that night- Gou calling Sei, then showing up at the club, and them leaving shortly _after_ Momo had spotted the couple. All he could do was nod during his best friend’s admission and offer a few soft ‘ _wow’_ s _._

“Sei always gets what he wants…” Momo said enviously.

The statement wasn’t wrong, but Aiichiro didn’t like how much he compared himself to his brother. He couldn’t understand completely, because he was an only child, but Momo was so much more than he gave himself credit for.

“What is it that _you_ want?” Aiichiro asked in an attempt to redirect the conversation.

Finally, Momo faced him, wearing an unfamiliar look. He appeared lost at first, his eyes searching for _something_ among Aiichiro’s features _,_ when finally, he settled with complacency. He slowly exhaled, relaxing his eyes and features. “I’m not sure yet,” he confessed.

Honestly, Aiichiro understood that all too well. What was it that _he_ wanted? This day and his life for the past few months had been all over the place. He used to think his new experiences were exciting and added color to his life, but now all he felt was chaos, like he didn’t know where he was or where he wanted to go.  

“There’s no rush in finding out what you want,” Aiichiro said, speaking to Momo and himself, “You’ll figure it out when the time is right.”

Momo huffed, clearly not liking the answer, but understanding that it was true. “Lemme guess,” he stated as a small smirk played on his lips, “the next thing you were going to say was, ‘It’ll happen when you least expect it’.” He rolled his eyes while maneuvering his hands out from the blanket to air-quote his statement.

Aiichiro giggled softly, happy to see Momo’s mood lifting. “Don’t tease; you know it’s true.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” the ginger waved him off. “When did you get to be _so wise_ , Ai?” He mocked.

“I’ve always been wiser than you,” Aiichiro jabbed back, pushing his friend’s shoulder playfully.

Momo’s hand flew to his chest dramatically, “Ouch! Just keep kicking a man while he’s down.”

“You seem perfectly fine to me,” the elder shrugged.

His best friend flashed him a toothy grin and an over-the-top wink, “That’s right, I am _fiiiiine.”_

“Oh-my-god,” Aiichiro shook his head, holding in a giggle at Momo’s ridiculousness and standing to walk towards to kitchen.

“Wait- I’ll stop,” Momo pleaded to his friend’s back.

The silver-haired male tossed a look over his shoulder while still ambling forward, “You’re low on popcorn and _I_ need a cider if I’m going to sit through a marathon of the _Fast and Furious_ movies.”  

“Has anyone ever told you that they don’t deserve you?!” Momo called.

Aiichiro laughed to himself, “Yeah, something like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Overthinking - Reliant K  
> ^ The song I quoted in this chapter's summary. <3 
> 
> I just wanted to say thank you again and again, AND ONE MORE TIME WITH FEELING, THANK YOU! Seriously, y'all fire me up. Well, clearly since I made it well within the week this go around. I'm honestly so excited to wrap this puppy up so I can start posting another story. Hey, did I say thank you yet? <3 
> 
> Ai's back and forth in this is giving me fucking whiplash. :P Also, I've already started working on Chapter 13, but bear with me 'cause these last few chapters are gonna be harder for me to write.


	13. "Let's Try Something New"

After some time to think and rest on it, _and_ receiving an apology (with a handsome sum) from Sousuke for his behavior, Aiichiro started considering things _rationally_. At first, he thought he was jealous for not being the one Sousuke desired, but he quickly dismissed that. He knew the raven did desire him _physically_ , just not emotionally. However, Aiichiro had developed some sort of feelings towards him and had grown increasingly uncomfortable hooking up with a man whose heart had already been claimed.

At the beginning of their contract, he was perfectly content with taking the distraction role for Sousuke, but now? He felt used and conflicted. He just didn’t understand why he couldn’t be someone’s choice of affection. Of course, he understood that this was merely a contracted relationship, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t get his hopes up.

The attention and _sex_ were gratifying to say the least; he didn’t want to give it up… he didn’t want to give _Sousuke_ up. Perhaps it was because he was afraid of Momo being right, or maybe he saw redeeming qualities in the raven.

Speaking of his best friend, Aiichiro had realized he wasn’t mad at Momo for pointing out things about his relationship with Sousuke. It was only a matter of time before he started piecing those things together on his own; the ginger had only accelerated the process. Momo had also seemed perfectly fine after their night together of watching the ginger’s favorite series while drinking ciders. Aiichiro had offered his usual pep talk, reminding Momo he was his own person and didn’t need to compare himself to his brother. After that, they’d settled into the couch under a blanket, relaxing and enjoying a night that was long overdue.  

-x-

Aiichiro casually strolled along the sidewalk towards Sousuke’s apartment, calming his nerves and observing his surroundings. Ever since he’d recognized his confusion towards their relationship, he’d pulled back, not wanting anything to develop further. Sleeping with someone repeatedly as a mere distraction grew bothersome, and he’d hoped with these last few times, Sousuke would’ve moved on from Rin. _Wishful thinking,_ he reminded himself with a shake of his head.

He’d finally accepted that the raven might never move on from Rin, so then what? Where did he go from here? He shoved those questions in the back of his mind as he approached the familiar door. He might’ve had the answer, but he didn’t want to think about that right now.

Before knocking his usual rhythm, he gave himself a brief once-over, making sure everything was in place and that he looked _attractive._ He dressed nicer than usual this time around, hoping he’d make an impression on the raven. Clad in his best jeans and a tight, low V-neck showcasing porcelain skin, he felt confidence surge through him. He’d also added a choker of Sousuke’s liking and a thin silver chain that ran perfectly center with his chest. As he knocked on the door, he smirked to himself, remembering the low whistle he’d received from Momo when emerging from his bedroom earlier that day.

The door opened with its usual low _creak_ as Sousuke nodded towards the living room, inviting Aiichiro to come in. He accepted, sauntering in slowly and _hopefully_ enticing the raven with each sway of his hips.

Sousuke closed and locked the door in one swift move, and immediately advanced on Aiichiro, grabbing him by the waist with one arm and flushing their bodies together. “Let’s try something new,” Sousuke mischievously requested, staring down at Aiichiro with determination.

He gulped as Sousuke eyed him like he was his next tasty meal and wondered if this change of pace was because of his attire. “I’m willing to do whatever you want,” Aiichiro admitted, smirking playfully back at the raven and purposely pulling his bottom lip between teeth.

Sousuke hummed, “That’s a good boy.” A large hand cupped his backside, offering a light squeeze before trailing its way up Aiichiro’s side and stopping on his cheek. “Trust me?” The raven asked, leaning in hesitantly and grazing his thumb faintly across the younger’s cheekbone.

Azure scanned for his answer in the turquoise depths that were blackening with every passing second. “Yes, Daddy,” he finally responded, his gaze dropping to the lips that inched closer to his.

The raven closed the gap, pressing his mouth gently against Aiichiro’s and easing into a passionate kiss. The younger practically melted in Sousuke’s arms at the overwhelming sensation of being embraced like nothing else mattered in the world. The hand on his cheek still caressed him while another held him steady, wrapping around his waist tightly. Aiichiro swiped his tongue faintly across the raven’s lip, and Sousuke accepted skillfully, sliding his tongue in time with the younger. They’d never kissed like this before, suddenly revamping Aiichiro’s optimism towards their relationship.

Sousuke smoothly guided them into his bedroom, never releasing the younger and easing into each move. Everything was slow, warm, and exactly what Aiichiro wanted; he was finally receiving the affection and attention he thought he deserved. He almost wondered if he was dreaming when he reached his arms around Sousuke’s neck as the raven slid his hands down his legs, lifting him up. Aiichiro gratefully wrapped himself around the larger man, already blissing out from the pure passion and fire running rampant across his skin.

They moaned into each other’s mouths as Sousuke laid them on the bed, undoing Aiichiro’s jeans and pulling them down in an easy motion. The younger had never been doted on this way and after finally having it, he never wanted to give it up.

The raven broke their kiss to mouth at his fingers, leaving Aiichiro panting and gasping for breath. All coherent thoughts were gone; the only thing on his mind was the Adonis working a wet finger inside of him and smiling down at him before reconnecting their lips. Sousuke cherished him in every possible way and easily slipped another finger inside, scissoring Aiichiro wide.  

“Ai,” Sousuke breathed against his plump lips, sending tingles all down his spine. He wished he could hear the raven say his name like that on a never-ending loop.

“Hmm?” He hummed, loving the hot breath hovering his mouth.

“I want to try…” The raven blew a slow breath, tickling his lips.

“Yeah?” Aiichiro raised himself to ghost his daddy’s mouth; he wanted nothing more than those lips back on his.

“Calling you ‘Rin.’” Sousuke finished faintly, still leisurely fucking the _baby_ with his fingers.

 Aiichiro’s eyes fluttered open, not entirely sure he heard the raven correctly. “What?”

Sousuke mouthed at his neck, trailing behind his ear and nibbling on his lobe. “I want to try calling you ‘Rin’,” he repeated as if what he said was completely normal.

Not letting himself get distracted by the warm, delicate kisses against one of his more tender spots, the younger asked, “Why?”

“You know why,” he breathed slowly over Aiichiro’s now damp neck, slipping in a third finger and catching his _baby_ off guard.

“Mmph,” the younger let a low mewl slip from his lips as he was stretched wider; he wasn’t sure about this at all.

“I think it’ll help me,” Sousuke explained, still grazing his lips down the pale and sensitive neck. “And I’ll pay you extra for it.”

_I don’t care about the money_ , Aiichiro thought, surprised by his quick realization. _Oh no._ Panic gradually bubbled in his chest replacing the once warm feeling. He didn’t want the raven to call him anyone else’s name. “I-,” he started to protest.

Sousuke pulled back to meet the younger’s gaze. “Please,” he pleaded desperately, and Aiichiro couldn’t help but think just how broken this man was.

“O-okay,” he found himself agreeing.

The raven ignored the hesitancy in his voice, trailing his mouth back to the youngers and seizing it with heated passion. Aiichiro found the rhythm, trying to get back into the swing of the things, but ultimately worried about when Sousuke would drop the redhead’s name.

Their kisses continued, tongues sliding against one another in a languid dance while the raven slid his fingers out of the _baby’s_ entrance. He’d honestly forgotten fingers were even filling him until the emptiness gushed through him, understanding when exactly Sousuke planned on calling him a name that didn’t belong to him _._

The uneasiness in his gut increasingly rose as he heard the tear of a package and _pop_ of a lid. He slammed his eyes shut, wondering if he could do this for the raven. If he could choose someone else’s wants and needs over his own. ‘ _You deserve better’,_ Momo’s words sounded in his head.

Sousuke was back over him, aligning his member with Aiichiro’s open hole and leaning towards his ear. His lips grazed the younger’s lobe as he murmured, “I’ve wanted this for so long, _Rin._ ”

The name on Sousuke’s lips _shattered_ him. Tears pricked the corner of his eyes when he felt the raven pushing inside of him, knowing he wasn’t the one occupying the man’s mind. _Waves,_ he thought the safe word in his head, begging to say it aloud when he heard another wanton _‘Rin’._ His throat constricted, not letting a single word out of it and the raven continued his leisure thrusts.

_Waves, waves, waves, WAVES._ He swallowed, moistening what little he could just to spit the one word out.

“ _Rin,”_ Sousuke moaned in his ear.

_Aiichiro Nitori, say the damn word,_ he screamed at himself internally, although the damage was already done “Waves,” he croaked, praying his tears wouldn’t fall. He mustered up his courage and said the word again, and again, until the raven tentatively climbed off him.

The next few things happened in a hazy blur, everything slowed, and a loud ringing flooded his ears, blocking out all other sounds. He knew he was crying by the way his vision clouded, and he knew Sousuke followed him through the apartment, mouthing something Aiichiro couldn’t hear. He didn’t feel his hand on the apartment door, he didn’t hear his feet slap against the pavement outside, carrying him to an unknown destination, and he didn’t see the multiple people he brushed past.

Somehow, he ended up at a park, similar to the one he used to venture to as kid in his hometown, always looking for someone to play with and stand by his side. He never found anyone then, and he didn’t find anyone now. He was alone, hurt, scared, confused, and no matter how many times he told himself he could handle it, he most certainly could not.

He slouched on a park bench as uncontrollable sobs sounded from his convulsing frame. All he ever wanted was someone to need _him_ , want _him,_ love _him,_ but he realized he could never have that with Sousuke the moment ‘ _Rin’_ left his lips.  

Before he could talk himself out of it, Aiichiro’s shaking fingers fished out his phone and opened the infamous app that started this entire mess, clicking on his contract with Sousuke. One finger hovered over the ‘ _end contract’_ button, almost backing out and letting himself calm down first. His mind yelled at him, screaming to do it, and he smashed down, blocking Sousuke for good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me. *runs away & hides*


	14. Not Ready To Make Nice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Forgive, sounds good. Forget, I'm not sure I could. They say time heals everything but I'm still waiting."

Aiichiro didn’t remember the walk home, nor the choppy explanation given to his best friend; he only recalled crying until there weren’t any tears left while Momo held him, and how he’d passed out like that, so emotionally spent that he couldn’t stay conscious any longer. Therefore, he’d missed the way the ginger carried him to bed. The way Momo had gently covered him with his favorite blanket and tucked him in tightly just the way Aiichiro liked. He had missed the way his roommate’s fingers tenderly brushed his bangs back, whispering, “ _You deserve someone like me…_ ”

-x-

A week had passed since his incident with Sousuke, and Aiichiro had managed to avoid him by feigning sickness, missing three work shifts at the café. He’d used the extra time to focus on his studies and process everything that had happened with the raven. 

Luckily, because of the money that he’d received by being a _sugar baby_ , he had plenty to get him through the next few months without having to find another job. He’d even decided that he might just pick up more hours at the café when the time came, but for right now, he’d comfortably stick that in the back of his mind.

The familiar jingle of _Sweet Sweet Sakura Tea_ rang, signaling the other workers that he’d returned. Although he didn’t like lying to his co-workers and letting them down, he was terrified of facing Sousuke. Honestly, he wasn’t entirely sure that he was less afraid now, but he’d needed to leave his apartment for something other than school, otherwise he’d might’ve lost his sanity.

He received several ‘ _Welcome Back’_ s and ‘ _Good to have you back’_ s upon his arrival, encouraging him that he’d made the right decision.  All he had to do was calm his nerves- stop his stomach from performing Cirque du Soleil and halt his twitching fingers. “ _Easier said than done_ ,” he murmured softly to himself, clenching his shaky digits into a fist.

“Are you talking to yourself, _Ai-chan?_ ” Nagisa chirped, poking and prodding his cheeks.

Aiichiro laughed awkwardly, swatting the blond away, “Ha- no, no. Just t-trying to get back into the swing of things.”

“Whatever you say,” Nagisa practically sang, and then piped, “Oh! You have someone in your section!”

Aiichiro’s stomach stopped its acrobatic routine with a heavy drop. _Breathe,_ he reminded himself while cautiously checking his section. He released a rushed exhale the moment he saw a new customer he’d never met before.

A small hand waved in his face, “Are you okay, Ai-chan? You’re acting weirder than normal.”

“Ha- hai. No worries, Nagisa-kun. I’ll just go take care…” He slipped away, pointing to the customer in his section and ignoring the concerned look on the blond’s face.

 _Relax_. _He might not even show up today._

He’d repeated that several times during the rest of his shift, and as the time dwindled on, he’d finally grown calm. Now, only a few customers littered the café while Nagisa and Rin’s clan sat in their own corner, waiting for their friends to get off work. All seemed well, and Aiichiro noticeably relaxed, stopping his flinching every time he heard the door’s melody, even as it rang with only twenty minutes left until closing.

He dismissed it, figuring either Nagisa or Rin would take them while he finished up his sweeping. It should’ve been a red flag that someone came in so close to closing, but Aiichiro remained in his spot, not offering an ounce of attention to the customer ambling in.

Until the blond’s voice echoed through the shop, “Oh, Sou-chan! You’re just in luck! Ai-chan is back today!”

 _No,_ Aiichiro refused to look _his_ way; he refused to fall into another trap.

“Oi, Nagisa, lower your voice,” Rin snipped back in a hushed whisper, “We still have customers.”

“Sorry, Rin-chan,” the blond whispered in return, still in a sing-song tone.

“Ai’s back there cleaning up,” The redhead directed his attention to Sousuke. “You can probably just wait until he’s- Oi!”

Aiichiro turned the moment Rin had been cut off, watching the raven brush past him and walk straight towards his way with heavy-footed steps. He unintentionally backed himself up right into the wall as the storm loomed over him. A thick, thundering fog surrounded them in their own cloud with Aiichiro suddenly shrinking.

“Are you _kidding_ me?” The raven gritted, clenching his fists until his knuckles went white. “You run out of my apartment _crying_ and then _block me?_ ” His voice grew louder with each word he spat, drawing everyone’s attention to them.

Aiichiro felt every ounce of courage and confidence he built up over the last few months drain from him. “S-sousuke, I c-can’t…” he trembled, not even bothering to hide his nerves, his _fear._ He didn’t fear the raven per say, it was the conversation they needed to have that scared him. The conversation where Aiichiro explained why the contract needed to end, why it shouldn’t’ve been signed in the first place. The conversation where he would confidentially state his wants and needs, and how Sousuke could never give him that… and how Aiichiro didn’t want that from _him_ anymore anyway.

“You didn’t even give me a chance,” the raven barked, his voice continuing its climb. “You-”

Suddenly, Sousuke’s voice stopped and the cloud around them dissipated as Rin stepped in front of Aiichiro, blocking him from the raging storm. “I don’t know what your problem is but _control your damn temper. We have customers,_ ” Rin growled, barely keeping his threatening tone in check.  

Aiichiro peeked around the redhead, who noticeably made himself appear larger- standing straight and tall and squaring his shoulders, almost as if he was establishing dominance. He also noticed Haru silently inching towards them with something unfamiliar baring themselves in his once cool, blue eyes, and they burned a hole directly in Sousuke’s face.

“This doesn’t concern you, _Rin.”_ He was challenging the redhead, that much was obvious as his voice skyrocketed, not giving a single damn about how far his temper was taking him.

Nagisa ushered the remaining customers out of the café, keeping his upbeat personality a **s** he assured them that their next visit is on the house while Makoto and Rei watched the spectacle happening in the back of the shop.

Rin stood his ground, accepting what challenge his _friend_ was dishing out, and Haru continued his quiet approach, taking the redhead’s side in an easy, yet tense stride. The two friends glared at each other, waiting for the other to back down, but neither did, both equally stubborn. Sousuke’s chest heaved, his harsh exhale sounding through his nose while Rin wound his fingers into fists, tensing every muscle in his back.

“ _Back. Down.”_ Sousuke commanded, and Aiichiro noticed the way Rin’s fist slightly raised.

“ _No_.”

Aiichiro stooped smaller, surprised by how scary the man he once harbored feelings for sounded. The tension in the air suffocated him; he wanted out of there. He wanted to go home and sit on the couch with Momo, watching their favorite shows and talking about pointless things. He wanted his simple life back. The life he had before Sousuke, before the contract, before any of this.

“ _Move_ ,” Sousuke barked, boldly taking a step forward that crossed boundaries he wasn’t truly aware he was crossing. He grabbed Rin’s shoulder as his threatening aura boomed down on them and moved him by force.

A swift punch came out of nowhere, landing straight on Sousuke’s nose, sending him staggering backwards as a look of genuine shock flashed across his face. If the hit had come from Rin, there would be blood, but the blow came from-

“ _Haru!”_ Makoto shrilled from the front; everyone’s disbelief shown through his voice.

Aiichiro’s mouth fell agape, watching Haru bravely step forward, his body absolutely _vibrating_ as he uttered with severity, “You don’t _ever_ lay your hands on him.”

Sousuke looked right past the man who assaulted him to his supposed best friend, waiting for Rin to do something, but the redhead did nothing. He continued standing his ground, showing Sousuke whose side he’d taken. Aiichiro almost expected Sou to retaliate as he straightened himself upward, holding his stare-off with Rin.

However, the temperamental man offered one last glare to the redhead before turning on his heel and storming out. There were no more threats, only a darkened silence that rocked Aiichiro to his core, releasing hot tears down his cheeks.

“Haru.” Rin exasperated with concern, rounding on his partner with a glimmer of shock in in his eyes.

“Ice…” Haru mumbled, stalking towards the kitchen while carefully holding his hand with Makoto quickly trailing behind.

The redhead rubbed a hand over his face, releasing a slow, steady breath. He regained his bearings and casted a troubled glance in Aiichiro’s direction **.**

“Ai-chan?” Nagisa appeared at his side, cautiously rubbing circles on his shoulders and taking the broom from his hands that he’d forgotten he was holding.

“C-call Momo,” he whispered in return, sliding against the wall until his bottom met the floor while his tears continued their downpour.

-x-

Once Momo had come to walk him home, offering words of encouragement and a helping hand, Aiichiro had stopped his crying. Honestly, the tears had only come because he felt ashamed of himself for thinking he was stronger than he actually was. He’d worked so hard over the last few months, building his self-esteem and courageousness just to fall apart and crumble… _twice._  Although, this time, his tears had stopped noticeably quicker and he’d been aware of his surroundings.

The moment they’d gotten home, Momo ushered him into the shower, insisting the warm water would make him feel better. When he’d stepped out in his usual PJ-shorts with ducklings and an oversized t-shirt to match (feeling and looking noticeably refreshed), the ginger had set up for a movie night with Aiichiro’s favorite takeout meal and rom-coms.

“I picked up a six-pack of your favorite cider too. It’s in the fridge,” He’d said, optimism shining in his gold depths while smiling reassuringly.

Aiichiro had gratefully accepted, remaining quiet while enjoying his meal and a movie that the ginger definitely didn’t want to watch. He’d guzzled down the first cider happily, slowing his pace when he’d felt the warm, familiar buzz. Though, the same couldn’t be said for Momo.

Another movie later and six ciders for Momo, the ginger threw the blanket off them in haste. “It’s _hot_ ,” he whined.

“Maybe because you drank all your ciders,” Aiichiro pointed out, suppressing a small giggle.

The ginger pouted and grumbled, “… had to drink _something_ to make it through these movies.”

Aiichiro grabbed the pillow next to him, chucking it at Momo and knocking him over. “You like these movies too, you’re just too scared to admit it!” He playfully stuck out his tongue.

“That’s not the only thing I’m too scared to admit…” The ginger mumbled under his breath as he sat back up.

“What?” Aiichiro cocked his head to the side, watching his friend who wasn’t meeting his gaze.

Momo released an audible sigh, waving the silver-haired male off, “Nothing, nothing.”

One quirked brow and a low inquisitive hum was all Aiichiro offered. The ginger blatantly ignored him, suddenly stripping of his shirt and throwing it across the room. Cerulean eyes squinted at a now bare-chested Momo. “Was that really necessary?”

“It was!” The ginger proclaimed with an infectious smile spreading from ear to ear.

Aiichiro chuckled in response, returning his attention to the movie still playing on their TV. He was thankful for having someone like Momo in his life; he didn’t know what he would’ve done without him if he’d went through this alone.

“Ai?”

“Yeah?” He responded, facing his friend again.

Momo’s gold depths noticeably didn’t meet Aiichiro’s gaze. “Can you play with my hair?”

“I think that’s the least I can do considering everything you’ve done for me,” Aiichiro admitted with mild amusement lingering in his voice.

“Yay,” the ginger responded, immediately placing his head on Aiichiro’s bare thighs and laying down comfortably.

Aiichiro gently carded his fingers through orange-red locks, idly wondering if Momo’s hair had grown longer as he ran his digits all the way to the tips.

“You know,” Momo quietly spoke after a few minutes had passed, “I’d do anything for you.”

Aiichiro looked down, feeling his eyes water at the soft affirmation. “And I for you.”

The ginger nuzzled into the elder’s thighs, releasing a relieved, hot breath that tickled Aiichiro’s tender spot. He involuntarily squirmed beneath Momo’s head, willing his body to still. The younger noticed, purposely breathing out again and chuckling when Aiichiro’s legs clamped tighter.

“Ticklish?” Momo teased, lightly trailing his fingers across the elder’s lower thigh.

 _Not exactly ticklish,_ Aiichiro thought, but responded with, “I’ll stop playing with your hair.” The hand on his thigh immediately stopped its taunting dance, slumping on the knee instead.

The elder watched his fingers disappear in Momo’s locks, noticing the way the ginger fluttered his eyes closed and relaxed into the touch. He really had matured, no longer the boy who’d bounced uncontrollably behind Aiichiro demanding his attention. Well, he still demanded attention, but in a much calmer way.

Gazing down at the younger in his lap, Aiichiro realized he’d never noticed how the freckles along Momo’s nose and cheekbones trickled lightly down to his shoulders before. He wondered if he’d always had them, almost running his fingers down to investigate until Momo stirred in his lap.

“I just wanted to hear you laugh,” the ginger admitted in a hushed tone with his eyes still closed.

Curiosity furrowed silver brows, recalling an earlier scene in the movie that sent them both into a fit of giggles, “I laughed tonight.”

“I know…” He trailed off with a sigh. “I just… love it.”

Aiichiro’s voice caught in his throat, not sure how to respond to something so tenderly spoken about himself. Instead, he just continued focusing on the ginger rather than the movie, observing the slight part in Momo’s lips as he rubbed his head with delicate fingers.

“Sou’s an idiot…” the ginger mumbled.

The elder hadn’t really thought about the raven during his time with Momo, so the statement caught him off guard. Honestly, he wouldn’t know how to respond to the ginger if his mind had been on Sousuke all night.

Momo’s breathing deepened, signaling that sleep wasn’t far behind. “You… Deserve…” Aiichiro hushed him while his hand flattened, petting the ginger and encouraging him to doze.  His friend breathed out a soft ‘ _m’_ , and the elder was sure the word he left unfinished was _more_ , but he never heard it.

He finished the movie like that, with Momo sound asleep in his lap, feeling immensely better with his rollercoaster of a day. He wondered what he ever did in his life to deserve the ginger, because after the last few months of lying and pushing him away, Aiichiro expected the exact opposite of what Momo was giving him. He guessed that’s what best friends do, because if roles were reversed, he’d do the same. Side by side they’d stay, and Aiichiro hoped it would last for the rest of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The comments on the last chapter were AMAZING and y'all seriously made my day/week!
> 
> Two. Chapters. Left. I'm gonna be so sad when it's over.
> 
> (Oh and I did lose a subscriber after last week's chapter so at least one of y'all did hate me lmao XD)
> 
>  
> 
> Edit: It's been 30 mins since I posted it and my hits already jumped up by 10. Y'all are the best. Can't wait to see what everyone's thinking when I wake up tomorrow morning. <3


	15. Revelations

Time had passed, temperatures rose, and Aiichiro had finally accepted everything for what it truly was. He’d fought so hard to prove that he wasn’t naïve, but him believing that something could’ve come out of a Sugar Daddy relationship was incredibly and undeniably _naïve._

His life had returned to normal, but not completely. Things seemed different in his life, like he finally took the time to open his eyes and see things, _everything_ , for what they were. Juggling full-time work and college was a fact of life, and Aiichiro had managed his time better to accommodate said lifestyle. He’d learned fairly quickly that he could actually handle a full plate and still do the things that he loved.

Ever since Aiichiro ditched the ‘ _dead weight_ ’, as Momo liked to call him, his best friend seemed genuinely happier. They’d spent more time together doing what they loved (watching movies and playing video games) and just enjoyed life. Everything was simple and easy with Momo, and Aiichiro would _always_ cherish that.

He’d also found a really good friend in Kisumi. Not so surprisingly, the cotton-candy prince was a decent listener and gave solid advice. He hadn’t ever expected to become friends with the online idol, but it just sort of happened, and now Aiichiro couldn’t imagine life without him.

Kisumi knew pretty much everything about the contracted relationship, from the spying all the way to Sousuke calling him a different name during sex. Aiichiro had refused to tell him the name of the person, but Kisumi already had his suspicions and correctly guessed ‘ _the hottie with the weird teeth’._ When Aiichiro hadn’t offered a rebuttal, Kisumi knew he was correct and mentioned he’d noticed Sousuke’s eyes following two people that day he’d visited. As much as Aiichiro had wanted to say he was surprised, he couldn’t.

The work environment at _Sweet Sweet Sakura Tea_ had changed into a weird atmosphere until Aiichiro had proven to his workmates that he was _fine_. Nobody had questioned him about what happened because according to Nagisa, Rin had lectured them not to. He’d realized as time went on that he actually had more friends than he’d ever accounted for, making his healing process easier and faster.

Unfortunately, it seemed that someone wanted to bring up the past today as they pulled him aside, asking if they could talk for a bit. That person was none other than Rin.

“I’ve already asked Gou and Nagisa to cover while we talk,” he confirmed, leading them away from the hustle and bustle.

Aiichiro hung his head, accepting the request and trailing behind his senpai. He’d honestly talked about the situation enough with Momo and Kisumi that he didn’t want or need to confront it again. All he wanted was to let it go and everyone around him to do the same.

Once making it through the kitchen and out the back door, Rin ran a hand through his burgundy tendrils, sighing deeply. “Sou wants to talk to you.”

Aiichiro snapped his head up at the redhead, “What?”

“He wants to apologize…”

“ _Rin-_ ”

“I know,” the redhead cut him off, obviously anticipating Aiichiro to turn down the request, “But the guy has been moping since everything happened. He’s my best friend and he clearly made a mistake. I’m not asking you to forgive him, frankly I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t after that day, but I’m asking you to hear him out.”

Aiichiro wanted to open his mouth and reveal everything to the redhead, so Rin would know why he was so cautious… But the plea in his crimson depths couldn’t be ignored- _No,_ Aiichiro scolded himself, _if you don’t want to do something, then don’t_.

“Just once,” Rin cut through his inner dialogue.

Honestly, Aiichiro had weighed the idea of talking things over with Sousuke, settling their… _dispute?_ He didn’t really know what to call it, but to find some kind of closure and officially move on. He’d tried discussing it with Momo, but the ginger just encouraged him to move on without reaching out to the raven. Aiichiro thought for a while that his best friend was right, but now? He wasn’t so sure. “I don’t know,” he finally admitted.

His senpai had prepared for this, for Aiichiro’s hesitancy and anticipation. “He promises to stay calm and to talk with you here, where you’ll be safe,” Rin affirmed, the plea still apparent in his voice and eyes. 

Although Aiichiro wasn’t necessarily scared about his safety around Sousuke, the words Rin offered did comfort him. It’d be better for them to discuss things here rather than meeting somewhere alone where Aiichiro would feel more vulnerable. Rationally, he knew that he didn’t owe the raven an explanation, _but_ he felt that Sousuke deserved _something,_ even after everything that had happened. Again, if he thought about it for too long, he’d just continue going back and forth… Maybe it was best to hash it out and truly move forward.

“Fine,” he agreed barely above a whisper. 

“Really? Great, Ai. Umm…” Rin rubbed the back of his neck and calmly spoke, “Don’t freak out…” Aiichiro popped his head back up, the panic already rising in his chest as his senpai continued, “But he’s kinda already here.”

Suddenly, Aiichiro felt the raven’s presence and whipped his head around to confirm. Sousuke stood ten feet away against the building, waiting for Rin’s signal. He offered a small wave to Aiichiro, looking entirely out of character, but instead of dwelling on _that,_ the silver-haired male turned back around to meet Rin’s apologetic gaze.

“I’ll be right inside, okay?” The redhead pointed to the door, not daring to move an inch until Aiichiro gave the A-Okay.

He nodded unsurely while Rin acknowledged Sousuke with a threatening glare, “If you do anything…” The redhead didn’t finish his threat; he didn’t need to for the raven to understand.

“I won’t,” Sousuke confirmed as he walked closer with tentative steps.

Rin offered a brief, stiff nod before heading inside and leaving Aiichiro with the problem he’d been trying to ignore. He released a slow breath, closing his eyes and calming the panic bubbling in chest. He could do this. Everything would be fine.

Slowly, he turned on his heels, meeting the raven’s tired gaze. He’d almost asked if Sousuke had been sleeping alright, but quickly dismissed it, remembering what this conversation was truly about.

“Can we sit?” Sousuke inquired, thumbing to the brick wall next to them.

Aiichiro accepted, sitting cautiously against the wall and staring at his shaking fingers. _Calm down_ , he told himself repeatedly, willing his body to relax.

The raven sat too, leaving a respectable amount of space between them, and turned to face him. “I have questions, but you don’t have to answer them if you don’t want to,” Sousuke stated, getting the ball rolling.

The silver-haired male robotically nodded, not entirely sure if he’d be able to answer them, but decided he’d do his best.

“Can you look at me?” The raven inquired, concern etched in his deep voice. He used _can_ rather than _will,_ and for that exact reason, Aiichiro found himself shifting to meet that infamous turquoise gaze.

An obvious sigh of relief sounded from Sousuke, and he held their eye contact. “I’m sorry, Ai, for _everything_. I knew I had my own problems to deal with, and I dragged you down with me,” he spoke with utmost sincerity, causing the slight water of Aiichiro’s eyes.

“I didn’t mean for things to happen the way they did,” the raven continued, “I thought I had a handle on… well, you know.”

Aiichiro did know, he knew all too well because he was the one who Sousuke confided in. He was the one Sousuke took out his frustrations on. He was the one who somehow became an emotional punching bag just for some cash. But, _it-took-two_.

Aiichiro had accepted everything the raven had dished out, and _willingly_ met his needs even when he knew he shouldn’t’ve. That’s why he didn’t want to have this discussion; he never wanted to admit that it was his fault too. It was his fault for not stating his wants and needs. It was his fault for not laying out rules. It was his fault for being too afraid to stand up for himself.

“I…” Aiichiro started, almost trailing his gaze away, but his mind yelled at him to face his problems head on. So, he did. “I shouldn’t have agreed to it in the first place. I knew I wasn’t a strong enough person to be what you needed, but I ignored that and told you everything was fine when it really wasn’t.”

Sousuke shook his head, “None of this is your fault,” he dismissed. “I never should have reached out for a physical relationship with you until I dealt with my own problems, and for that, I am truly sorry.”

Aiichiro tore away from the raven’s sincere gaze, watching the ground instead and mulling over Sousuke’s words. There was truth to the confession, but Aiichiro still held himself responsible for his own part. However, there was no use of him stating things again, and he remembered Sousuke had questions.

He cleared his throat, still staring at the alleyway rather than Sousuke. “What’re your questions?”

The raven shifted beside him, pressing his head against the wall of the café and looking up at the sky. “Why did you block me instead of letting me fix it?”

“You couldn’t have fixed it. I wanted so much more than what you were offering,” Aiichiro admitted honestly.

“Did I…” Sousuke cleared his throat and swallowed, “Take your virginity?”

Aiichiro jerked his head up, the raven’s question catching his full attention. Not only could he tell that Sousuke knew the answer, but also that he was afraid of it. “Yes,” Aiichiro confirmed, “But I was okay with that and kept it from you on purpose.”

That answer didn’t comfort the raven in the slightest as an expletive slipped from his lips. “I wouldn’t have-”

“I know. That’s why I didn’t tell you,” Aiichiro cut him off, accepting his own side of things.

Sousuke gritted his teeth, turning towards him again with caution. “Did you like me?”

“I think so,” the silver-haired male confessed. He was okay with admitting that because he knew he’d never let himself be in this type of situation ever again. Nothing would come of this, because he’d already moved on from his naïve desires and accepted that Sousuke was far too broken to have an actual relationship with. He didn’t want that anymore anyway.

“I’m an idiot,” Sousuke murmured to himself.

_You are,_ Aiichiro concurred in his head but said, “People do stupid things when they’re in love.”

“You’re referring to Rin,” the raven deeply whispered.

Aiichiro hummed in response, not really wanting to discuss the redhead. He’d already done that plenty of times for the raven and he no longer had to offer that service.

“I had… _have_ feelings for you, too.”

He’d already suspected this of the raven, and had even discussed it in grave detail with Kisumi, but Sousuke’s feelings for him weren’t enough. Especially not now. “Don’t,” he threatened with a slight quiver in his voice.

“I’m sorry… I really do think you were helping me get over him,” Sousuke stated truthfully.

Between the confession and the blatant dismissal of his warning, Aiichiro’s blood began to boil. He confidentially rose to his feet, anger fueling his actions as he stepped in front of Sousuke and peered down at him. “Listen carefully,” he gritted, momentarily surprised by how strong he sounded, “You need to tell him and then get some help. Your feelings for him run too deep and I could never be in a relationship with someone whose heart doesn’t belong to me.”

“Ai-,” Sousuke tried interjecting, but Aiichiro stopped him.

“No. I want someone who will smile at me because I make them happy. I want someone who knows my likes and dislikes and _respects_ them. I want someone who I can sit on the couch with laughing at stupid things because life is easy when we’re together. I want someone who’s not afraid to show me affection and hold my hand in public. I want-”

And then it hit him. All of the pieces suddenly fell into place, waking him up to the swelling of his heart. He already had everything he just described and _so much_ _more._ He already had someone who smiled at him every time he entered the room. He already had someone putting in the effort to do things that made his life easier. He already had someone who sat on the couch with him and was the _reason_ he laughed. He already had someone who wasn’t afraid to reach for his hand in public, leading him nowhere in particular. He already had someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Aiichiro backed up, the sudden revelation clearing his head and releasing all panic and anger from his chest. He accepted the rush of elation and claimed with apparent shock, “I-I have to go.”

Sousuke stood, clearly confused at the turn of events, “What?”

“Yeah,” Aiichiro confirmed, stripping himself from his apron and positively beaming, “Someone’s waiting for me.” He tossed the cloth at Sousuke as he continued walking backwards, “Can you take that to Rin and tell him I had to go?”

The raven’s mouth fell open, “Uh, sure?”

“Great!” Aiichiro turned, ready to make a run for it, but then remembered something and faced the raven again. “Oh, and a bit of advice before I run off?”

Sousuke’s brows knitted together, “Yeah?”

“You need to tell Rin… and hope that Haru doesn’t punch you, _again_ ,” Aiichiro giggled at that last part and swiveled on the spot, leaving the stunned raven in his dust. He had somewhere he needed to be, and he didn’t need to waste any more time with someone who didn’t deserve him.

His legs pumped faster than they ever had before as he sprinted along the sidewalk, not caring in the slightest about the multiple people he bumped into. He couldn’t describe the overwhelming feeling of happiness flooding through him, but now he knew he had it, and _no_ _one_ could ever take it from him. He kind of felt stupid for not seeing it before, but it didn’t matter, because he understood now, and he wasn’t going to waste another second of his life without this kind of love.

His feet pounded on the pavement, carrying him all the way home. He dropped his keys several times trying to open the door, his excitement causing every fumble. Finally, he jammed the key in and successfully unlocked the entrance, swinging the door open with a loud bang.

The person he was looking for stood right before his eyes, where he’d always been. But this time, Aiichiro really looked as he spoke the name of the person who he’d just come to realize was his everything,  

“Momo!”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you imagine if I ended the story here? :P (I honestly thought about it but then decided that was way too cruel) 
> 
> ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT! 
> 
> Thank you all so freaking much for the amazing comments on this journey. They've seriously fired me up and I'm gonna miss talking with y'all when it's all over. <3 
> 
>  
> 
> P.S. I started posting a RinTori story... (3 chapters are already posted & I update every weekend) Just lettin' ya know ;)


	16. Everything's Different With The One You Love

_“Momo!"_

Aiichiro didn't give the ginger any time to respond as he closed the distance in an excited dash, launching himself with arms open wide. He knocked them both to the ground, giggling breathlessly the entire time even though he was pretty sure that loud thud was Momo's head. In his pure state of euphoria, Aiichiro situated himself, straddling the ginger and beaming down at him like he was really seeing him for the first time.

“Is this because I tickled you the other day when you begged me not to?” Momo asked in minor pain, rubbing his head where it hit the floor.

Aiichiro patted his friend's chest frantically, his grin not faltering for even a second. “ _Momo_ -”

“'Cause I'm sorry, Ai, but you're just so easy to tick-”

“MOMO!” Aiichiro yelled, finally grasping the ginger’s full attention. “I'm trying to tell you I'm in love with you, but you keep interrupting me!”

Confusion flashed across his favorite golden depths, and Aiichiro eagerly waited for the realization of what he said to sink in. He saw the entire moment, all right on Momo’s face- confusion blossoming into full on shock and genuine _happiness_ ; the room suddenly brightening all around them as the ginger beamed at him in return.

Momo flipped them, switching positions and laughing breathlessly as the realization truly sunk in. With eyes still wide, he stared down at Aiichiro, jubilation glossing over his depths as he parroted, “You’re in love with me?”

The silver-haired male’s grin faded into a soft, sincere smile, taking in every dazzling feature on his best friend’s face. He had always thought Momo was handsome, but now, with the light shining brighter than it ever had before, he was _stunning_ \- all smiles and covered with angel kisses. Aiichiro rose a hand gently, brushing back the ginger’s bangs before caressing his cheek. “I’m in love with you, Momotarou.”

Strong, yet tender hands grasped Aiichiro’s face as the ginger’s mouth opened to respond, but no sound came. The distance closed between them as Momo bent down and Aiichiro raised himself up on his forearms, their mouths connecting for the very first time.

Fireworks, Aiichiro swore he saw them, _felt_ them, firing off every nerve ending on his entire frame. The overwhelming feeling of pure love consumed him and even though Momo hadn’t reciprocated his confession, the kiss conveyed it all.

Their mouths fit together perfectly, as if they were always meant to be, sealing their feelings with an intimate embrace. This was what Aiichiro had always wanted to feel like when being caressed- warm tingles that spread like wildfire, joy bubbling in his chest, and total bliss reaching out over every limb and clearing his mind of nothing but _love_.

Unfortunately, they broke apart, staring wildly at each other with pupils already dilated and a sheen of saliva glistening their parted lips. Aiichiro raised himself further onto his hands, almost in a full upright position, hoping Momo would lean back in and claim him again. His desires coursed through him, begging for the ginger to embrace him in more than just a kiss.

Momo’s fond golden depths roamed the face in his hands, his thumbs grazing Aiichiro’s cheekbones in soothing strokes. “Ai…” he whispered.

“Yeah?” Aiichiro drew himself closer, bringing their noses just centimeters apart.

“I’m in love with you, too.” Momo confessed sincerely, looking into the depths of azure eyes before seizing Aiichiro’s lips again.

Passion sparked between the two, working their lips deeper and harder than before. Fire engulfed them with the heated lip-lock and suddenly, they were standing and moving. They inched towards the closest bedroom, falling on top of the covers and never ceasing their hold.

Aiichiro slipped his tongue in, pulling a guttural moan from Momo as their hands began to roam. Desire overrode their bodies, flushing them together as they learned every curve of each other with amorous touches. Aiichiro’s hand found the hem of the ginger’s shirt, trailing beneath it and across Momo’s taut muscles. He released a satisfactory moan when his fingers found the deep V of his lover’s hips.

The ginger pulled back, “What?”

Aiichiro’s lids fluttered open, finding a curious look in Momo’s eyes. “Your body…” He chewed his lip, casting his timid gaze away. “I like it.”

Momo boyishly grinned, “ _Yeah_?”

“Yeah,” the elder whispered back.

“Look at me,” Momo delicately demanded, his boyish charm morphing into sentiment as he raised a finger to Aiichiro’s chin and lifted it so their eyes connected. “It’s all yours.”  

Those feelings of overjoy and exhilaration swelled Aiichiro’s heart again, and he impatiently pressed his lips to Momo’s, letting out a small sigh of relief. This all seemed right to him- being here in the ginger’s bed with legs intertwining and hands discovering every inch of each other. Everything moved with ease, from the removal of both their shirts to Momo laying Aiichiro on his back, peppering his neck with faint kisses.

The silver-haired man mewled beneath the touch, threading his fingers through orange-red locks and encouraging Momo to move to his collarbones. Understanding his lead, the ginger’s pecks traveled down, gradually turning into soft sucks that had Aiichiro moaning sweetly and _loudly_. Momo’s tongue teased and taunted, lapping at the prominent bones as the man beneath him squirmed under his touch, growing harder by the minute.

“You-have-such-beautiful-skin,” Momo professed, kissing the porcelain skin between each word.

Aiichiro just moaned in response, loving the way his newfound lover admitted to everything with such confidence. For a brief moment, he wondered if they should stop and talk about how long Momo had been hiding his feelings, but the kisses traveling south said otherwise.

“Ah- _Momo,_ ” Aiichiro whimpered, his hips wriggling beneath the hot breath ghosting down him.

The affectionate kisses stopped traveling further right above the waistband of his khakis, sliding back and forth instead as if to ask for permission. Gold eyes flicked up, instantly meeting darkened azure. “Lemme take care of you,” Momo coaxed.

Aiichiro sucked in his lip and a breath, nodding with impossibly wide eyes and causing a warm chuckle from the ginger. With utmost tenderness, Momo undid the button and zipper, sliding down Aiichiro’s boxers with his pants until they were completely off. He placed them somewhere on the floor, bringing his full attention back to the naked man on his bed.

His body leaned in closer as his eyes drank in every inch of smooth, flawless skin. With caring hands, he glided up Aiichiro’s bare legs, thumbs rubbing in circular motions the entire way.

“What’re you doing?” Aiichiro piped faintly.

Without stopping his movements, Momo boldly met his gaze, “Loving you.”

Aiichiro flushed about ten different shades of red. “ _So cheesy_ ,” he whined, his legs pushing the ginger away.

A heartfelt chuckle sounded from Momo, stopping the kicking legs with his hands. “You _like_ it.”

Large, pupil-blown depths watched the ginger’s hands continue their work, sliding over lithe calves to plump thighs. Aiichiro willed his breathing to slow, but Momo’s fingers grazed ever so gently over his most sensitive spot, teasing the skin beneath his thumbs.  The elder’s hips wriggled and writhed while lecherous moans slipped from his lips.

Momo leaned in further and without warning, replaced his hands with his mouth, kissing all along the inner thigh. Aiichiro moaned louder, his fingers finding their way back through ginger hair as the hot and needy mouth cherished him. 

Caressing lips traveled dangerously slow, reaching Aiichiro’s most tender spot of all and offering one heated swipe. Momo didn’t stop there- he slid his hand along the underside of the bare man’s thighs and hoisted them up, spreading his destination open.

The ginger inched in closer, lying down on his stomach and continuing his tormenting sucks. A soft inhale could barely be heard through Aiichiro’s constant mewling.

“You smell so good,” Momo complimented, nuzzling further in.

The elder was sure he was going to melt beneath the consistent doting, but he never wanted it to stop. He only mewled louder, encouraging the ginger to continue the _loving_ treatment. 

The hot lapping resumed, circling Aiichiro’s entrance and tasting every bit of him. Momo groaned as the body beneath his pleasurable torment wiggled against his tongue. He circled over and over, and when that wasn’t enough, he thrusted in hungrily, opening the tight ring of muscle.

“ _Momo,”_ the elder moaned the name unabashedly, his entrance begging to be filled with something more.

The ginger understood the cue, dropping one hand to slick a finger up with his own saliva and pressed deeply inside of Aiichiro, curling and discovering a whole new side to him.

“L-lube?”

Momo raised up to the question, his finger still sliding in and out of the heated hole as he maneuvered to the side of Aiichiro. After throwing open the drawer to the bedside table and rummaging around, he found his small container and popped the lid open.

Carefully he removed his working finger, slicking up Aiichiro’s entrance with the lubricant then generously coating his fingers. He pressed in two fingers when reentering Aiichiro, kissing him through the sweet burn.

Aiichiro whined beneath the fingers, bucking his hips and matching the rhythm the younger set for them. He pushed down harder, practically begging for another digit.

Momo listened and obliged, bringing his fingers out and carefully pushing three back in. He drank up every moan Aiichiro poured into his mouth, slowly finger-fucking him into oblivion. As much as the elder was enjoying every direction his lover was taking this, he wanted control of the reigns. The ginger had done all the work for him and it was time to show him how much he appreciated it.

“Momo,” he whispered while breaking the kiss and pressing a hand to the man’s muscular chest. Again, the ginger listened, slowing his fingers to a halt before cautiously gliding out of him.

“Condom?” Aiichiro asked, looking up through long lashes at the handsome man who’d flushed completely red from their activities.

Momo’s Adam’s apple bobbled slightly before he turned back towards the bedside table and opened it once more for the protection. Once bringing it back to show Aiichiro he had it, the elder spoke again while sitting up, “Switch with me.”

The ginger’s eyes grew wide, “W-what?”

“It’s my turn to _love_ you,” Aiichiro teased him with his own words.

A sheepish smirk played across Momo’s lips as he scooted over to lie down in the elder’s spot while Aiichiro shimmied himself further down the bed. After unbuttoning and unzipping the remaining article on Momo’s body, the elder slid his pants and boxers off eagerly, springing his hard member free.

Aiichiro stared, his eyes eagerly devouring every inch of milky skin from the broaden shoulders to the narrow waist all the way to… _Mmm,_ he hummed to himself, finally being able to _look_ at Momo without hiding his appreciation for the deliciously toned frame. Aiichiro readily plucked the square package from his hand, ripping it open with practiced ease and rolled it down the ginger’s erection.

Momo groaned at the touch, hips automatically bucking up and pleading for more. Aiichiro sweetly hushed him, gripping him firmly and jerking tantalizingly slow. He relished in the guttural groans sounding from his lover’s throat, never wanting to break the contact, but realizing he had to if he really wanted to display his love.

Finding the bottle of lube Momo had haphazardly tossed on the covers, Aiichiro popped the lid open with his free hand and squirted it over his other. After deciding that he was still pretty slicked up in the back, he closed the bottle and placed it nearby in case they needed it again.

He slid his working hand to the base of Momo’s cock, holding it steady as he swung a leg over the ginger’s body and hovered over the pulsing member. Locking eyes with his lover, Aiichiro lowered himself, gently easing down on Momo until he was filled to the hilt.

The sweet burning sensation engulfed him as he stretched to fit Momo comfortably. Luckily, for both their sake, it didn’t take too long and Aiichiro tested the waters with a cautious rock forward.

Momo’s head threw back into his pillow as his hands flew to the elder’s waist, encouraging him with a tender, yet firm grasp. Aiichiro _moved,_ grinding and riding with languid motions as his heart swelled and swelled. The look on Momo's face was total bliss and the elder was sure he mirrored him.  

Circling his hips, Aiichiro grinded down with force, desperately trying to reach his sweetest spot, but he couldn’t do it alone. “Momo – _ah_ -” he couldn’t finish his thought, and instead used his body to tell his lover what he _needed._

Instead of rotating his hips, Aiichiro lifted himself up and dropped back down, moaning out in sheer pleasure and immediately snapping Momo’s attention back to him. The elder repeated the move, and thankfully, Momo caught on, grabbing his slender hips firmly and thrusting upward, just grazing his prostate.

“ _Harder-_ ” Aiichiro begged with soft, high-pitched whimpers following.

The ginger groaned at the lecherous sounds leaving his partner, obliging to the command by snapping his hips with fervor. They met for the first time on the same beat, both moaning loud as the feeling of pure ecstasy took over. 

“ _Fuck,”_ Momo gritted, pounding harder into the elder. “ _Ai…_ ”

Something surged through Aiichiro at the sound of his name on his lover’s tongue, almost sending him to the brink. “Say – ah – my name,” he mewled.

“Ai – Ai – Ai-,” Momo chanted, over and over, after every single thrust until both were climbing to edge.

Aiichiro’s hand flew to his own cock, giving it a few tight pumps and screaming out ‘ _Momo’_ as his orgasm crashed through him. He rode it out with his lover following close behind, still reciting his name with deep groans that vibrated his chest.

One last whisper of _‘Ai’_ rolling off Momo’s tongue had Aiichiro slumping against the younger’s chest. Their breathing, both ragged and harsh, filled the air as the ginger carefully wrapped his numb arms around Aiichiro. It didn’t matter how much the elder’s skin was already burning up, he nuzzled into Momo, relishing in the comfort.

Once their breathing had calmed, the ginger delicately pulled the rest of himself out of Aiichiro before rolling him over onto his back. A small displeased whine fled the elder’s lips at the loss of contact. Momo pushed back his bangs, gingerly caressing his cheek as a low chuckle sounded from his chest. “Hold on,” he affirmed softly, letting Aiichiro know he’d be right back.

Momo stood with shaky limbs, gathering his balance and last bit of stamina to move around a bit. He removed the condom, tying it and tossing it into the wastebasket, then proceeded to the bathroom for a washcloth.

When he returned, he cleaned Aiichiro up with extra care and dressed them both in their underwear before crawling back into bed. The moment his head hit the pillow, the elder scooted back into his arms.

“You’re amazing,” Aiichiro whispered into the milky smooth chest.

Momo kissed the elder’s forehead, rubbing tender circles in the small of his back. “I love you, Ai,” he proclaimed as if it was the easiest thing for him to say.

Aiichiro’s breath hitched with tears pricking the corner of his eyes as he declared right back, “I love you too, Momo.”

-x-

Beneath the morning sun, Aiichiro and Momo basked in the afterglow of their declaration of love, discussing _everything_ , and discovering just how long they’d harbored their feelings.

Apparently, the ginger had been in love with him for quite some time and it took Sei’s relationship with Gou to open his eyes. He admitted that he felt an unfamiliar buzzing sensation in his stomach every time he looked at Aiichiro, but he didn’t know what it was. He said that he felt confused for a while, and when his intense jealousy towards Sousuke grew, he knew his feelings had been sealed.

Aiichiro embarrassingly admitted that it took him until just the day before to realize his own feelings. He even went on to explain that it took him yelling a list of wants at the raven to fully open his eyes and heart. Thankfully, Momo had found the whole scenario amusing and was just grateful that they could finally be together.

As for Sousuke, well, he confessed to Rin and barely dodged another hook from Haru that would’ve been well-deserved. Their friendship arrived at rocky shores, but Rin was willing to work through it if Sousuke sought help from a professional.

Eventually, as time had passed, and seasons changed, Aiichiro discovered a friendship with Sousuke, bringing their clan of friends closer together. Momo had even encouraged adding Kisumi to the mix and man, what a pop of color that was.

With Momo as his partner, Aiichiro found happiness and eternal love; side by side they stayed, and Aiichiro knew it would last for the rest of their lives.

 

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could make at least 50 large pizzas with the amount of cheese in this chapter. XD 
> 
> Wow, what a great a journey. I’m so utterly grateful for y’all- the amazing readers who experienced this ride with me. Your comments and kudos fired me up more than y’all will ever know and I am so happy with how quickly I got this all written. 
> 
> I always knew this fic would turn into MomoAi, but I left the tag out because it would’ve spoiled the surprise and I’m not about that life. I am sorry for the SouTori fans I may have crushed, but hey, I gave you a couple good smut scenes in there. :P (Please make note that I have tagged 'with a twist' and nowhere claimed SouTori was endgame) 
> 
> Shout out to the people who commented on every chapter! Y’all genuinely amped me up and I looked forward to your comments every time I updated. 
> 
> Also, A HUGE FREAKING THANK YOU TO THE BEST BETA A GIRL COULD EVER ASK FOR. Bespectacled_Owl, you are amazing, and I love you, thank you times a million for being my sounding board and editing my awkward phrases XD. I can’t wait to return the favor for you! Also, if you’re interested in some amazing smutty one-shots, you should go check out her page. Porn with Plot, y’all. <3 
> 
> So, that’s it. Wow. Okay, I feel a little empty so I’m gonna go work on some other fics. Please leave comments, I’d love to talk to y’all about this one last time.  
> I have a lot of new works coming up, so if y’all don’t wanna miss a story by me, feel free to subscribe. It’d mean the world. <3 
> 
> Thank you, thank you, thank you!


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